Taken (Book I)
by bknbu
Summary: With all that the Princess of Arus has endured in her young life, there are bound to be secrets. As Arusian prophecies begin to unfold and bonds begin to deepen, Allura struggles with the inner demons that haunt her...one demon in particular: the Prince of Korrinoth. Will she manage to prevail once more, becoming stronger in the process or will all her hope be shattered for good?
1. Chapter 1

_Well...here we go! I have finally drawn up the courage to post my first fiction and am super nervous!_

_KathDMD: What can I say? Thank you so much for taking on the roll as my 'Editor in Chief', especially with all you have going on! You are wonderful and a true blessing._

_Cubbie: You, my dear, are a true inspiration to us all! Thank you for being the little voice inside my head screaming 'post please!'_

_To all the authors in my 'Favorites List' (especially those I have communicated with): Your stories have gotten me through some serious struggles and have helped me to learn to believe in myself. You are all brilliant!_

_I chose to post today as it is my dearest friend's birthday. I have been through quite a bit over the last year and she has been my rock...always encouraging me to continue on with my writing and to share it with others. A.S...this is for you... Happy Birthday!_

_Disclaimer: I do not profit from or own any part of Voltron or its characters. _

"TAKEN"

Chapter One

She was the first one to arrive back at the castle. She exited the chute into castle control and pulled her helmet off, releasing her golden blond mane from confinement. She shrugged her shoulders and hung her head as she slowly walked out of the room, her body aching from their current battle, her ego bruised from her not-so-stellar performance.

She couldn't face them, so she made it a point to get away before they arrived. She knew that they would patronize her, and she just didn't want to deal with it. She knew what she was capable of. She knew that she was just as good as they were. After all, she had been piloting Blue for a little over a year now and her natural instincts sometimes kicked in and then some. However, what that..._animal_...said to her over her private comm sent her over the edge.

She'd lost all focus as her anger and need for revenge consumed her. She wanted him to die, slowly and painfully, and she wanted to be the one to deliver the fatal blow to the Prince of Korrinoth.

Keith tried to help her regain focus to no avail. She went after the dark prince with a vengeance, splitting her team up in the process. The move could have cost them dearly had it not been for their Commander's well-honed combat strategy and leadership abilities. He and Lance followed the Princess while Hunk and Pidge held the robeast at bay. Between Keith's razor-sharp maneuvers and Lance's spot-on targeting, they were able to deter the obviously-set trap in time to regroup, form Voltron, and take out the robeast.

Once again, she'd lost focus. Once again, she'd allowed his words to get the best of her. Once again, they had to come to her rescue. _Once again, I failed them, _she thought as she let out a heavy sigh.

She wouldn't go to the rec room; she knew they would all end up there at some point. Nor would she head to her room, as that would be the first place they would look for her. Instead, she made her way to the entrance of the caves that led to the only room that remained from the old castle. The castle she grew up in, a place once filled with so much love and happiness that, like the castle itself, existed no more…except for this one singular room that had become her own little sanctuary. There she could regroup and hopefully let go of her anger and frustration, at least for the time being.

She unzipped her uniform jacket to relieve the suffocation she felt, and threw her aching body down on the couch.

Coran paced back and forth in the control room as he waited for the rest of the team to return. He knew that Allura wasn't with them, as he saw that Blue had already been put into rest mode. One by one, they entered, and the dais slowly lowered out of sight. The four men looked exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Keith immediately caught Coran's gaze. He sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled raven hair. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice hoarse from the battle that had just occurred.

"I'm not sure, Commander. The dais was already raised when I arrived," Coran answered as he shook his head wearily.

"Did anyone check her room?" Pidge asked.

"She wouldn't go there, man," Hunk pointed out. "She knows that's the first place we'd look. How 'bout the rec room?"

"Yeah, that's the last place she'd go. She's avoiding us, remember?" Lance huffed. Keith winced imperceptibly as the others nodded in agreement.

Keith looked at his teammates, and then at Coran. "You heard what he said to her, didn't you, Coran." He said it more as a statement than as a question.

The advisor looked at him regretfully and nodded. "Yes, Captain, I did, and it is not something I care to repeat. I will say that her reaction did not surprise me in the least; quite the contrary, I would have been much harsher. That heathen certainly knows exactly what buttons to push when it comes to the Princess."

"She's gotta know that we get it, that we don't blame her for going after him," Hunk chimed in.

"That's just it, Hunk. She _hates _it when we do that. She knows that if any one of _us _had pulled that shit, our fearless leader here would have reamed us a new one," Lance snorted, tilting his head in Keith's direction.

"I never patronize the Princess, Lance. I just tone it down a bit, that's all," Keith replied. "Bottom line: you three are Academy alums. A reaction like that from any one of you would be completely unacceptable. Yet, despite not having any training, she handles herself like a pro - with the exception of that bastard. Who can blame her? None of us knows for sure to what extent he has terrorized her."

"Yeah, but she hates being the exception, Keith. You know that," Lance argued.

"Gentlemen," Coran interjected, "the Princess has proven that she is a solid member of the team. Maybe it's best that we drop the issue." He paused to look at Keith. "Commander, we will just have to rely on your quick reflexes in the event that this should occur again. Hopefully, it will not."

"Yeah, right!" Pidge exclaimed. "After the rise he just got outta her? He'll probably use that strategy in every battle from this point on!"

Keith furrowed his brow and crossed his arms in front of him. "You're probably right, Pidge, which is why you have to come up with a way for us to intercept any incoming transmissions to Blue from an outside source. With the damage we gave his fleet today, it will be at least a month before Lotor comes calling again. That should give you plenty of time," he commanded.

Pidge nodded in agreement.

"As for the rest of you, go change and get some rest."

"You got it, Cap!" Hunk agreed. Pidge seconded the sentiment with a nod.

"Lance, hold up a sec," Keith called to his friend as he, too, was about to leave. Lance reluctantly stayed behind, and turned to face Keith and Coran. Keith glared at him.

"_You_ know where she is," he stated accusingly.

Lance caught Coran's gaze momentarily, then turned his attention back to Keith. "So what if I do?"

Keith sighed, allowing Coran to speak. "Lieutenant Commander, she trusts you. She considers you a dear friend. Please."

"I really don't know what you expect me to do. You both know how stubborn she is."

Keith shot him a pleading glance. "Lance, just talk to her like you always do. Let her know that we are not patronizing her, but that we get it."

"So why don't I just tell you where to find her and _you _go talk to her, oh Fearless? It'll probably mean more coming from you," Lance smirked.

Frustrated, Keith squinted his eyes. "You know damn well she isn't comfortable talking to me about this like she is with you…God knows why…so cut the crap. Believe me, if she would let her guard down for one second, I would _gladly _talk to her."

Lance chuckled, "Well, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle…" He paused once he noticed Keith's expression. "Ugh, _fine_! I'll go talk to her, OK?" He threw his hands up in the air.

Keith nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Lance," Coran offered. "That's all we ask."

Lance sighed, and with a smirk at the advisor, he nodded his head and exited the control room. Truth be told, he had every intention of talking to Allura. He knew her better than anyone and she had confided many things to him..._especially_ her feelings regarding their illustrious commander.

He made his way through the caves to the room where he knew she was hiding. He slowly pushed the door open and caught a glimpse of her on the couch. Her hair was loosely flowing around her and her uniform jacket was unzipped, revealing a rather form-fitting tank top underneath. Lance caught his breath for a moment.

He had learned long ago to repress his natural instincts when it came to the Princess. He loved her, that was a given, but he was most certainly not_ in_ love with her. Lust? Maybe, but most definitely did not go beyond that. _No…that's Keith's department, _he thought with a smirk. Still, he couldn't help but admire just how breathtaking she was.

He entered the room and cleared his throat. Startled, she gasped, turning her head until she saw him.

"Damn it, Lance! You scared the crap out of me!" she huffed.

Lance smirked and leaned against the door. "Tsk tsk, such language! What would Coran say?" he teased as he walked over to the couch and took a seat next to her.

Allura rolled her eyes and then slightly grimaced, biting her thumbnail in the process.  
"Is he really mad at me?"

"Who, Coran?"

"No, you jerk!" she replied as she smacked his arm.

"Oh, you're referring to the Noble One," he smirked, and she nodded her head. His eyes relaxed a bit as he looked at her. "No, Allura. Of course he's not mad, not at you anyway. But I wouldn't want to be Lotor right now, that's for damn sure."

She looked down at her hands. "He should be angry. He gave me an order and I ignored it…_again_. I put all of you in danger."

"Yeah, I know. I told him that we should spank you for it." He chuckled, and Allura smacked him again. "Oh, come on! We all know how much Keith enjoys coming to your rescue…boosts his ego…you're his full-time damsel in distress." He winked, but softened his expression after noticing the distraught look on her face. "Allura, he gets it, we all get it."

"No, Lance, you don't." She paused to let out a deep sigh. "Lotor has done unspeakable things to those that I love. It's when he throws those things in my face that I lose control. All the pain, all the emotions come flooding back, and I just can't put it aside. At that moment, the only thing that exists is my anger and my need for vengeance. He knows it…that bastard _knows _it…and I fall for it every time!" She angrily slammed her fist into the palm of her hand.

Lance tried to comfort her. "Allura, no one blames you…"

"Stop it, Lance! I hate it when you guys patronize me!"

"I'm not patronizing you, Allura, so _you_ stop throwing that line in my face! I am the _last _person who would patronize you!" he scolded, growing a bit irritated.

She stared at him blankly.

"All we're saying is that we understand. We're not excusing it, but we get why you did it, that's all." He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. His voice suddenly changed, becoming thick with tenderness. "Lura-lu, what did he say to you?"

She looked up at him, her eyes full of obvious pain, and shook her head no.

He sighed and pulled her in for a hug. "I want to help you, Lura. Let me help you," he murmured, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

She pulled back to look at him. "You _are _helping me, just by listening and letting me be irrational," she told him, trying to give a slight grin.

He wasn't convinced. _Skeptical as always..._

She slowly lifted herself off the couch and wrapped her arms around her torso. "He has taken so much from me, Lance, more than you can imagine. He's taken everyone and everything I've ever loved, and he continues to hurt my loved ones still. He has robbed me of so much, and I _hate _the fact that I continue to let him have control over me!"

"He does _not_ control you, Allura! You are one of the strongest chicks I know."

She smiled at him briefly, then furrowed her brow. "But he won't stop, Lance. He will keep coming after me until he gets what he wants. It's only a matter of time."

"Allura, you know that hell will freeze over before Keith lets that bastard get anywhere near you like that, and we'll all be right behind him backing him up." The defensive tone in his voice was unmistakable.

"I know you boys will always come for me, Lance, but one of these days…I might just kill him first."

"Lura…"

"No! _Ugh! _He's taken enough! I have nightmares about that bastard kissing me…touching me…" She paused, cringing. "I'll be damned if he gets anything else!"

She was disgusted. _And _horrified. Lance flew off the couch and quickly moved to where she was standing, spinning her around to look at him.

"Allura, has he…has he…?" Lance couldn't get the words out.

Allura shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Not for lack of trying, and he most certainly has tried." She caught the flash of anger that crossed his emerald eyes, and pulled away from him. "Not a word of this to anyone Lance…I mean it… _especially _Keith."

He looked at her as if unwilling to agree.

"I _mean _it, Lance!"

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, a move he'd picked up from his best friend over the years. "As much as I don't want to keep this from him, I know my best friend and I'm in no mood to chase after him on a Korrinoth crusade right now…I'm _exhausted_," he huffed as he looked at the Princess.

She nodded in agreement, then sat back on the couch. He returned to their original spot and took a seat by her side. "So," he began as he scratched the back of his head, "Blue Balls kissed you, huh." He made a face and shook, disgusted.

"You know, all a girl dreams about is that first kiss, and I had to have _that. _Seriously, what gods have I pissed off?" she snorted.

"Did he really kiss you…I mean…_really_?" He was horrified.

She gave him a sideways glare.

_"Yuck! _Oh man! That sucks..."

"Literally…"

He chuckled. "Eh, I guess it could have been worse…"

"Yeah, I guess I could have been forced to kiss _you,_" she winked.

"Hey Princess, I'll have you know that I'm a fantastic kisser…or at least that's what I've been told." He waggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Is that so?" she challenged flirtatiously.

He leaned back on the couch and smugly put his hands behind his head. "Yup. You would've been lucky to have me kiss you…tough break."

"Why, Lancelot McClain, are you offering me a redo?" she giggled.

He shot up to a seated position, grinning. "I'm not a masochist, Allura."

"Hey! Just because I've never kissed someone doesn't mean that I would be awful!" she pouted.

He laughed. "Oh, I don't doubt it, Princess. But it's not you I'm worried about…it's Commander Protocol. I'm sure he'd like to have a go first." He shot her a sly grin.

Allura rolled her eyes. "Please, Lance…if I wait for Keith than I might as well join a...what did you call it? Ah, yes. Convent."

Lance laughed. "Aw, come on, Princess, you're just not trying hard enough, that's all."

"What would you have me do, Lance? Throw myself at his feet and beg?" she snorted.

"No, of course not, but avoiding him is not the way to go, and you are most definitely avoiding him. He knows it too, only he can't figure out why. Ha! Commander Clueless, that's what I _should_ call him."

He snickered and Allura joined in. Somehow, he'd done it again. He'd managed to get her mind off her pain. She knew that she could always count on him to lift her spirits and make her forget her troubles. Once the laughter subsided, she took his hand and gave him a crooked smile. "So, do you want to?"

"Um, want to what?" he asked, confused.

"Kiss me?"

He laughed, but only until he realized that she was serious. "Girl, are you crazy?"

"Oh, come on, Lance. Don't be such a prude."

"Ha! _You_ are calling _me_ a prude? That's awesome!"

"Come on, Lance! It's just a kiss…it won't mean anything."

"Sure it will! It means that I'll get my ass kicked! Hell _no_!"

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No. No, I'm not. I have kissed many girls, remember?"

"Yes, but you haven't kissed _me_," she added slyly.

He tossed her an incredulous look. "Allura, are you serious? Why would you want me to kiss you? It's not _like_ that with us."

She looked at him and sighed. "I know, I know. It would just be so much easier if it were."

He smiled at her and put his arm around her. "I know, girl, but you can't force what isn't there. You're so obviously in love with him and I know you guys are meant to be together. I saw it from the first minute he laid eyes on you. He loves you, Allura. He may be fighting it with everything in im, but I have no doubt…that man truly and deeply loves you."

Allura smiled and looked at him with fondness. "You say that, but…I don't know. Besides, what if I kiss you and realize that maybe I was wrong? Do you want to go on for the rest of your life wondering?"

"Allura, have you lost it?"

"No one needs to know, Lance. It would be our little secret."

_"No."_

"So you're just going to let me go on with the idea that Lotor is as good as it gets?" she challenged.

He raised his brow at her and thought for a moment. "Why, yes. Yes, I am."

_"Lance!"_

He turned to look at her. "No way, Allura! It's not gonna happen, so drop…"

Too late. She grabbed his face in her palms and planted a kiss on him. He tried pushing her away, but then relaxed and gently broke the lip lock. They both looked at each other for a moment, Lance in shock at the Princess' boldness. Allura bit her lip and studied his expression.

He chuckled. "Babe, stop trying to force something that isn't there. Although I will say, not bad for a newbie Princess." He winked, and she looked down and giggled.

"I'm sorry, Lance. I just had to know. I had to make sure." She looked back up to her best friend.

He caressed her cheek. "Hey…don't be sorry! Our friendship means the world to me, Lura-lu. Besides, I've already got the upper hand on everyone else." He smiled warmly.

"Oh yeah? How so, McClain?"

"Let's see…where do I begin?" he started. His eyes wandered, and he tapped his chin. "I get hold your hand whenever I want." He took her hand in his. "I can give you little kisses whenever I want," he said as he kissed her forehead. "I can tickle you whenever I want," and proceeded to tickle her profusely as she laughed with all her heart. He then gathered her into his arms as they lay back on the couch. "And look at this! I get to hold you whenever I want. Girl, I got it made! Everything Commander Awesome fantasizes about, I have with no strings attached! Yeah, like I said, upper hand." He shot her a cocky smirk, and Allura laughed.

"Yes, I guess you do," she agreed as she snuggled into him. "I love you, Lance."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to everyone who has posted a review and is following this story. Words cannot express how important it is to me...certainly keeps_

_me motivated to continue! There will be a little bit of everything for everyone in this series... especially Part 2 ...but let's get through 'Taken" first ;-)_

_A special 'thank you' to my fantabulous...super busy editor... luv you!_

_I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters..._

"Taken"

Chapter 2

Keith, Hunk, and Pidge had showered and changed into their casual attire. They still had about an hour to kill before dinner, so they were making their way toward the rec room when they turned the corner and saw Lance and Allura. They were laughing, their arms around each other.

Keith crossed his arms and raised his brow at them. He knew how close Lance and the princess were. Although he was fairly confident that there was nothing romantic going on, it bothered him that she could confide in Lance and not in him.

"Well, it certainly looks like the Princess is feeling better," Hunk teased good-naturedly.

Keith squinted his eyes and cleared his throat, causing the pair to look at him.

"Hi guys," she offered in greeting as she approached them.

"Feeling better, Princess?" Pidge asked.

"Yes, Pidge, thank you. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to get back; I just needed to clear my head," she answered, smiling sweetly.

"Well, we are all certainly glad that Lance could cheer you up," Keith huffed.

Allura looked over at him, surprised.

Lance, reading between the lines, rolled his eyes and threw his arm around her. "Hey, anything to make my little Princess happy," he snickered, planting a kiss on her cheek.

She laughed, slapping his hand off her shoulder. "You're too much, Lance!" As she looked at the others, she noticed that they were smiling.

All except Keith. He barely sported a slight grin.

The princess lightly cleared her throat and looked down. "Um, I'd better go shower and get changed before dinner." She then began to walk away.

Walking past him, Keith reached his hand out and touched her arm, causing her to stop and look at him. "Princess, I would like to talk to you after dinner if you wouldn't mind. I promise, it won't take long." He smiled.

Her lip twitched slightly when she looked at him. "Sure, Keith, no problem," she stammered.

Keith nodded, and she turned and walked back to her room.

Once the princess was gone, Keith joined up with Hunk and Pidge, who were busy tailing Lance to the North wing. Lance could feel the guys following him, so he spun around to look at them. "You guys got a problem?" he huffed.

"So? How is she?" Pidge asked, concern thick in his voice.

"She's fine, couldn't you tell?" Lance snapped.

"Oh, please...that's just the aftermath of your humor," Hunk retorted.

"Wasn't that the point? To get her mind off the shit that asshole has done to her?" Lance barked.

Keith's eyes glazed over at that comment. His brow shot up, and he glared at his friend.

"Well, sure, but…" Hunk began.

"Hunk, Pidge, could you please excuse the Lieutenant and me for a moment?" Keith posed the question more as a command than as a request.

Hunk rubbed the back of his head worriedly. With a glance at each other, he and Pidge nodded, then headed back toward the rec room.

_Great_, Lance thought. "What do you want, Keith? I was gonna shower and get changed too, you know."

"What did you _mean_ by that, Lance?"

"I mean that I still stink from battle and I want to get clean…" He noticed that his commander and best friend was far from amused. "Ugh, Keith, really…you know what he's done to her, so just drop it."

"No, Lance. She said something to you. I know it," Keith said coldly. "What is she hiding? What did that bastard do to her?"

Lance noticed the vein in his friend's neck pulsing. Shrugging his shoulders, he sighed, "Look, man, I get where you're coming from, but I'm sorry, I'm not gonna talk to you about it."

"_Lance_!"

"_No_, Keith! Just drop it! Trust me, she didn't give me any specific information, either. I was able to get her to at least tell me that he hasn't…you know..." He waved his hand and grimaced, noticing the anger in Keith's eyes intensifying.

"Has he…_hurt_ her?" Keith continued hesitantly.

"I don't know man, really. All she said is that he's forcefully kissed her…like, _really_ kissed her." Lance noticed his friend's wince. "That's it. She refused to tell me what he said to her through the private comm in Blue. And even if she _had_ told me more, I couldn't tell you, man. She trusts me."

Keith nodded that he understood. He wasn't thrilled, but content that she could at least talk to someone.

"I don't get it. Why won't she talk to me? I mean, I thought she was comfortable telling me things." He sounded as though he was trying to rationalize out loud.

"Come on, man, she knows that you and Lotor have this nemesis thing going on -" Lance paused as he felt Keith's deadly stare. He shook his head. "Whatever…I think she doesn't talk to you about it because she knows what you'll do. She doesn't want to put you in that position. Get it?"

Keith looked at him with a slow-burning fire behind his eyes. "Yeah, I get it. I don't _like _it, but I get it. So I'll drop it for now." He snorted as he turned to walk away. Then, abruptly, he stopped and turned to Lance once more.

"Lance, if he hurts her…I mean _really_ hurts her…I want to know… so I can kill him…slowly…with my bare hands. That's not a request." His tone was deadly.

The Red Lion pilot nodded in agreement, and Keith spun on his heel and headed toward the rec room. Lance sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair as he turned into his room.

Allura stood under the shower as the hot water traveled down her aching muscles. After washing up, she stood under the stream for a while longer. She desperately wished for relaxation, but it wasn't coming. She thought about what Lotor had said to her over the comm; how he would continue to get rid of everyone she loved, one by one, until she gave in.

She was able to ignore it all until Lotor mentioned _him_ and offered her a play-by-play of how he had murdered him. Not that it was needed; after all, she had been there to witness it. The princess shook her head to force the memory away. _I don't want to think about it_. _I don't want to remember, ever. _

Allura had to teach herself to let go. She couldn't let Lotor have this kind of control over her - it could cost her not only her life, but also the lives of those she loved.

The one she loved. _Keith_.

The princess knew that Lotor's hatred for the Commander ran deep. She also knew that the feeling was mutual. Keith was one of the most humble men she had ever met; yet, when face-to-face with Lotor, he was arrogant and unrelenting. Keith took his oath to protect her seriously, and Allura knew without a doubt that the Commander would willingly lay his life down for her.

She also knew that he would kill for her…and she _never_ wanted to put him in that position.

She closed her eyes and tried to refocus her thoughts as the hot water ran down her face. Once she was calm, she shut the water off and proceeded to prepare for dinner.

The team engaged in idle chat throughout the meal; it was obvious that they were all exhausted. Hunk, Lance, and Pidge all got up after the meal was over to head to the rec room to catch the satellite news before they turned in.

"Go ahead, guys, I'll be there in a bit," Keith informed them. They nodded and walked out.

He then turned his focus to Allura who was sitting next to him, as usual. He turned his chair to face her, but she shyly avoided his gaze.

"Hey, are you alright?" he began quietly.

She turned her head to look at him, grinning slightly. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Keith huffed at her response and crossed his arms in front of him.

She looked down at her hands. "What do you want me to say? I'm sorry that I disobeyed your orders. I promise it won't happen again." She paused, noticing his amused raised brow.

"Well, OK, maybe not _promise _per se, but I will certainly try."

"Princess, that's not why I asked." He noticed that she looked down at her hands again and furrowed her brow. _Great_. This conversation was not starting off well.

Keith moved his chair closer and put his finger underneath her chin, tilting her face up so that she was looking directly at him. "I know that I can be nerve-wracking at times, Princess, but it's only because your safety and the safety of your people are my top priority. You need to know that I will do everything to protect you."

She tried to look away, but he held her gaze.

"Even if he gets to you again, Princess, know that I will _always_ come for you. I will _not_ let him hurt you. _Ever_. Are we clear?" His words were filled with confidence and determination.

"Yes," she whispered in reply.

He leaned away from her and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" he began, then paused to exhale. "So, this must be why you'd rather talk to Lance than me, huh?" He snickered.

Allura smiled brightly at him. "Well, Commander, you can be a little intense sometimes."

"I'm so sorry, Princess, I just wanted to…"

She interrupted him by placing her hand over his. "It's OK, Keith. I like that you are always there to rescue me. It's what gives me the strength to keep fighting," she offered, giving his hand a light squeeze.

A faint flush came to his face, and this most definitely pleased her_. Hmmm, could Lance be right? _

Keith cleared his throat. "OK then, um, the other thing I wanted to tell you was that Sven and Romelle are coming tomorrow."

She hadn't known; this was the first she'd heard of it. "Really? That's fantastic!" she cried out. Her face lit up, and she clapped her hands together with excitement.

He chuckled at her reaction, a reaction that he actually anticipated. "I knew it would make your night." He grinned, and she smiled back at him. "Here, I'll make it even better. Because they're coming in, I have decided that we all need a break. No practice tomorrow. Instead, we're all going to spend the day by the falls. I already cleared it with Coran, and Nanny's going to have everything we need ready."

He laughed as he saw her eyes go wide. She jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around him, and he hesitantly returned the embrace. She was positively glowing.

"I don't know how you managed to convince them, Keith Kogane, but thank you. Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" She threw her arms around him once more, nearly throwing him off his chair.

He laughed and pulled away. "Don't just thank me, thank Coran. He's the one that convinced Nanny to not only prepare the food, but to stay behind as well." He smiled.

She squeezed his hand once more. "Keith, this means the world to me. Really. We all need a day to just sit back and have fun…it's been so long," she sighed.

"Well then, I'm glad Lance wasn't the only one who could make you smile today, Princess." He winked.

She bit her lip as she blushed at him. Then, trying to contain her joy, she leaned over and placed a feather-light kiss on his cheek, lingering for just a moment. "You can always make me smile, Captain," she told him adoringly.

Keith felt himself falling into her trance, and knew that he had to break away before he acted on it. "Um...OK then. Why don't you go and get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. I'll go let the guys know, and then I'll head to bed as well."

She giggled at him and they slowly rose from their seats. "So then, you're not going to walk me to my room?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry…of course I am…don't I always?" He grinned as he offered his arm. She linked her hand through it and smiled as he led her out of the dining hall to her room.


	3. Chapter 3

_Welcome back everyone! Thank you to all those who are following and have posted reviews. It truly keeps me going! A lot happening in this chapter...I hope you all enjoy..._

_KathDMD: love some Luda! Enter Sven and Romelle... _

_Did I happen to mention that MY EDITOR ROCKS! :-) _

_Wade Wells: Ah yes, our fav couple will be interrupted...you know that it can't be that easy!_

_AA-MamaBirdCat: He can be VERY dense...charming...but dense for sure...just wait ;-)_

_BarefootBallerin: More 'awwwww' to come!_

_Callialex: It feels good to be lighthearted every once in a while...some fun moments coming up!_

_**"Taken"**_

_**Chapter 3**_

"Princess Allura, would you please stop pacing?" Coran asked mildly. "You'll wear a hole in the floor."

In response, she looked at him and huffed, rolling her eyes like the impatient teenager she never was.

Allura couldn't help it. She was so anxious to see Sven and Romelle and to spend the day having fun - joy was such a rarity in her life. She missed them terribly and wished that she could see them more often. The princess and Sven had always had a special bond similar to the one she shared with Lance; although, if she were to be honest with herself, she had been attracted to him in the beginning. Sven had a keen sense of the spirituality associated with Arusian culture. He once confided in her that he felt a connection to Blue Lion, almost as though she was speaking to him. Allura would often discuss the various sentient aspects of the lions with Sven, as he was more open-minded than the others. She was so happy when he found Romelle, a feeling that increased tenfold when she realized that they were in love.

The princess sighed out loud, not realizing that she was openly daydreaming in front of everyone, until Coran cleared his throat. She looked up and realized that she was on the receiving end of some weird looks.

"Um, are you alright, Princess?" Pidge asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just lost in thought, that's all." She attempted to wave them off.

"I'll say," Lance teased. "Those must have been some thoughts there, Princess." He snickered, causing Allura to dart a nasty look in his direction.

The rest of the team, including Coran, laughed at their playful interactions.

Allura was growing impatient. The Polluxian ship had already landed, so she couldn't figure out what was taking so long. "Lance, can't you call Keith and find out what the hold-up is?" she asked tersely.

Suddenly, the main doors to castle control flew open, revealing their visitors. Her eyes lit up and she ran to Sven and Romelle, throwing her arms around them both and planting a kiss on Sven's cheek. He, in turn, lifted her up and spun her around while Romelle laughed. Keith smiled upon the trio and walked towards the rest of the team.

"Sorry it took so long. It appears as though Princess Romelle packed for a month's stay as opposed to a week," Keith teased.

"Hey, Captain, I heard that! A woman needs to have options, you know." The Polluxian princess smirked.

"_Ja,_ and you are definitely a high-maintenance one, for sure," Sven chuckled. His response prompted Romelle to smack him on the arm.

She then turned to Allura. "Ahem, Cousin? Care to defend me?" she huffed as she put her hands on her hips.

Allura giggled. "Sorry Romelle, I can't help you with this one. I only own, what, three outfits? Pink dress, another pink dress, and a pink uniform…yeah, that about sums it up."

Romelle cringed. "Oh my…that will _definitely _have to change!"

Allura laughed.

"Yeah, good luck with that, Romelle…I'd love to see you get it past Nanny," Lance guffawed. His laughter was infectious, and the others joined in.

Romelle rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to her cousin. "So let me get this straight: are you planning on wearing that outside all day?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Allura looked at herself. "Why, what's wrong with it?" she shot back with a defensive edge in her voice.

The boys all took a step back, not wanting to get involved in _that _conversation.

Romelle sighed in exasperation. "Oh Allura, _really_!" She walked up to her cousin and grabbed her by the arm. "Come with me, I'm sure I have _something _in my luggage for you to wear." With a look of determination on her face, she dragged Allura out of the room like a woman on a mission.

"Alrighty then…" Keith raised an eyebrow.

Coran wore a perturbed expression on his face. "Commander, please have everything ready to get out of here as soon as the ladies come back," he pleaded. "I don't want to deal with Nanny's tirade when she sees the Princess in something that she may deem inappropriate."

Keith laughed so hard he almost snorted.

"Knowing Romelle, I'm sure that will be the case," Sven laughed in reply.

The guys went ahead and loaded up the transport with all the things they would need to spend the entire day by the falls. There was an abundance of food, a few blankets, a music player, a volleyball, a soccer ball, a football, and Lance's favorite: super soaker water guns - "Just in case," he said with a wink. The girls arrived just as they were loading the last of the supplies.

"Well, would ya look at _that_!" Lance whistled. "Damn, Princess, you look fantastic!" He wore a stupid grin on his face as the rest of the guys turned their attention to the princesses.

Neither was wearing anything inappropriate by normal standards. Both were dressed in jeans and a T-shirt; however, none of the guys had ever seen either princess in anything but her usual attire. Romelle wore a powder-blue baby doll tee with her fitted jeans. Allura was not quite as curvy as Romelle, so the jeans were just a bit baggy on her, but she looked good nonetheless. She topped off her ensemble with a red crewneck T-shirt and a pair of hiking boots. Romelle had also convinced her to leave her hair loose.

"You look so _normal_!" Hunk smiled appreciatively.

"Yeah, Princess, you look great," Keith added, seeming awestruck. His words surprised everyone, especially himself, so he quickly averted his eyes and refocused on tying the items down in the transport.

Lance and Sven exchanged knowing looks and got a good laugh at their friend's expense.

Allura blushed at everyone's positive reaction. "Thank you, guys…you're very kind."

"Come on, Princess, let's get you outta here before Nanny sees you and the party's over before it begins!" Hunk laughed, taking her arm and leading her to the transport. Sven wrapped his arm around Romelle's waist and led her away as well.

The falls were not too far from the castle - they were one of the few landmarks that were not completely destroyed by Korrinoth's attacks. Aside from being breathtakingly beautiful, the falls were also rather secluded, which provided them with the privacy they desired. It allowed them to sit back, relax, and _really _have fun just being themselves.

Allura jumped out of the transport and took in the surrounding view. She inhaled deeply, tilting her head toward the sun, as she closed her eyes. She swayed a bit as the early fall wind wrapped itself around her. She let out a contented sigh and smiled brilliantly. She couldn't remember the last time that she felt so at peace.

Had she ever?

She came out of her daze as she heard Romelle call out to her, and rejoined the group. "So, what's on the agenda, Captain?" she asked.

Keith shot her a savage smile. "First of all, I suggest we drop the titles for today."

"Ha, this outta be good!" Lance snickered. Allura couldn't help but agree.

"Let me get this straight, _Keith_: you, Keith Kogane, are actually going to call me by my first name?" she challenged, placing her hands on her hips.

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Yes, _Allura_, that's what I said.

"For the whole day?"

"That's the plan."

"Oh my God…Lance! Hold me! I think I'm going to faint!" She mocked a fainting spell as Lance wrapped his arms around her. Keith rolled his eyes at the pair as the rest of the crew laughed hysterically at the joke.

"Don't worry, Allura, there's no way he'll last," Sven assured her, a hint of humor in his voice. "He's too set in his ways."

"Ah, my good Norseman, that is where you are mistaken," Keith informed his friend with a sly smirk that Allura had never seen on him before. "For the purposes of this outing, I am no longer Keith Kogane, Commander of Voltron…I am Keith Kogane, Commander of the Black Panthers."

"Yeah! We _love _Academy Keith!" Hunk screeched. "Not that we don't appreciate your fine leadership otherwise, Kogane." He winked.

"I won't hold it against you," Keith grinned in reply.

"Well then…let's get this party started, shall we?" Sven offered as he patted Keith on the shoulder.

Still grinning, Keith turned to Romelle and Allura, who both held skeptical expressions on their faces. "No preferential treatment, ladies. Girls that hang out with us have to carry their own weight." He threw a bag of stuff at Allura, which she easily caught.

It didn't stop her from throwing him a dirty look as he snorted, "Nice catch."

Lance came up to her and leaned in. "Relax, Allura. Trust me, you're gonna _love _Academy Keith." He smiled as he squeezed her shoulders. "He's actually a lot of fun." With a quick wink, he ran off to catch up with the guys.

Allura was skeptical at first, but it turned out that Lance was absolutely right in his assessment: 'Academy Keith' was indeed quite fun. He made it a point to include the girls in everything they did, even their not-so-friendly game of football. She had never seen the Commander so laid-back. He laughed, he joked around, and he flirted…a _lot_.

As they ate lunch, the boys talked about their days at the academy, all the pranks they pulled, every girl they dated. She was elated to see her boys so happy and carefree. They deserved this break, all of them.

Once the stories began to wind down, Sven nudged Romelle who, in turn, cleared her throat and looked at her cousin. "So, Allura, have you ever heard of a cotillion?" she asked.

Allura looked at her, confused. "Yeah, why?"

"Would you be interested in holding one?" she continued as all eyes drifted to Allura.

She chuckled sarcastically. "Ha! You must be joking! I want no part of that pretentious nonsense, thank you very much." She snorted in a very undignified manner, and then caught Romelle's expression. "What? Oh, God, _you_ don't want to have one, do you?"

Romelle pouted and crossed her arms in front of her. "Actually, Allura, as a matter of fact, I do. Not all of us find royal traditions to be pretentious, you know."

"Romelle, if you want to have a cotillion, then have one. What does it matter what I think?"

"Well, I wanted to ask if I could have it here, at the Castle of Lions."

"You're joking," Allura spat out dryly.

"No, Allura, I'm not! My parents were Arusian, so this planet is where my bloodlines lie. Besides, Bandor doesn't know how to deal with such things, and I have no one on Pollux to help me," she added, slightly tilting her nose in the air.

Allura cringed, and then looked at the guys for help. They were smirking in anticipation of her response, curious to see her try to weasel her way out of the situation at hand. _Thanks for the help, guys, _she thought sarcastically. _I owe you one. Big-time._

"Romelle, I am honored that you feel such a strong connection to Arus - and you should - but we are at war. We never know when _Lotor_" - she said his name with a venom that did not go unnoticed by the guys - "will attack. I just don't think that Arus is safe enough to hold such an event. I would be more than willing to send Nanny out to you for a few months to help you plan a cotillion on Pollux." _No cotillion AND no Nanny? Now, that's what I call a strategic diplomatic move where everyone wins._

"Yeah, I bet you would," Pidge snickered as though reading her mind. The rest of the crew found it just as amusing, and joined in.

Allura tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "The last thing I need during a time of war is a castle full of rich, snobby debutantes prancing around like they own the place," she attempted to explain further.

"Oh, I see." Romelle's voice was thick with disdain. "So as long as the castle is full of spoiled-rotten, rich, conceited princes who are drooling all over you, then safety is of no concern. Or maybe you're just afraid that you will no longer be the center of attention with all of my fabulous friends running around."

Allura was disturbed by her cousin's sudden change of attitude, and slowly began to stand up. The boys, also horrified, started to stand and inch away.

Romelle, too, got up and stared Allura down. "What's wrong, Little Miss I've-got-four-handsome-men-hanging-on-my-every-wor d? Are you afraid of a little competition?"

"Uh-oh, I sense a catfight," Hunk whispered nervously to Lance.

"Sven, get her to shut up, will ya!" Lance muttered through gritted teeth as he elbowed Sven.

The Swede seemed more amused than anything. "No, no, I'm enjoying this. Reminds me of the time Leesa and Ginger were fighting over who would get to see Fearless' tattoo," he chuckled.

Remembering that incident, Keith laughed. "Yeah, well, _those _two were equally matched. Between _these _two, though, Allura can easily kick Romelle's ass."

Sven raised a brow at him. "So sure of yourself, eh? Care to make a little wager?"

"No way, Bro. I trained Allura…I know what she can do. It would be like stealing money from a baby," Keith replied confidently.

"Ha! You obviously didn't see Romelle handle herself on Korrinoth - otherwise, you wouldn't be so cocky," Sven challenged.

Lance stepped in between the two and taunted, "_My_ princess is better than _your _princess, nah nah nah." He then turned to Sven. "Listen, Thor, to quote the all-knowing Ludacris: my chick bad, my chick hood, my chick do stuff that your chick wish she could!" His words were accompanied by the "appropriate" hand gestures. Then, after his rant, he high-fived Keith, Hunk, and Pidge.

They stopped when they noticed the icy glares from the girls.

"Ouch, that was cold." Hunk stated the obvious.

Allura turned her icy glare back on her cousin. "Romelle, I cannot believe you! First of all, I can assure you that _that _ball was not my idea, nor did I approve of it in any way. And if you think for one second that those simple-minded, fashion-obsessed, sheltered, pampered, mani-pedi _bimbos _are a threat to me, think again!" she retorted, inching closer to the Polluxian princess.

Sven, Keith, Hunk, and Pidge exchanged a blank look. It vanished as they all simultaneously shouted out, _"Lance!"_

"What?" Lance cracked. "Every Princess should add the word _bimbo _to her vocabulary."

Romelle drew a deep breath and attempted to calm them both down. "This is important to me, Allura. I know you don't care, but I do! I was Lotor's prisoner for so long, having to deal with him obsessing over _you _as he raped _me_...it made me feel lower than rock-bottom. I didn't think this was too much to ask. I don't see how you can deny me!"

Allura was completely taken aback.

Keith had finally had enough of this petty argument. He stepped in and pulled Allura to his side. "That was completely uncalled for, Romelle. What that bastard did to you is incomprehensible, but your cousin is not to blame." His words came out gently, but inside, he was seething.

Sven stepped up behind Romelle and put his arms around her. "That was a low blow, Elle. You need to apologize to your cousin," he told her softly.

The Scandinavian knew that Romelle had been through a lot over the last couple of years, and her experiences had made her a little selfish and rough around the edges at times. However, there was no doubt about how much she loved her cousin. She wasn't stupid; she knew that she was completely out of line in using her torture to guilt Allura into hosting the cotillion.

Allura sighed and stepped around Keith. "It's OK, Sven. I'm sure she didn't mean it." She paused as Romelle looked at her, her big eyes full of regret. "You can have your cotillion here, Romelle, but you must keep your guest list to a minimum. We have enough to deal with as it is, and having a castle full of young royals will make us a tempting target for sure."

Romelle nodded in thanks, too embarrassed to say anything, and Allura walked away. Keith followed her with his eyes, and Sven sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, that was certainly a buzz-kill. Thanks for that, really," Pidge huffed.

Sven smirked. "Relax, guys. I have a surefire cure for my girl's colossal buzz-kill."

Romelle shot him a dirty look as he grabbed the large bag next to him. He reached into it and pulled out two super-soakers, tossing one to Lance.

"Say hello to my little friends!" he antagonized, trying to pull off his best imitation of Al Pacino.

Once the super-soakers were out, mayhem followed. The others each grabbed one out of the bag as well. Lance picked up another and turned to hand it to Keith when he noticed the look of concern on his face.

He nudged the commander.

Keith furrowed his brow. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to check on Allura." He gazed intently toward the direction the princess went.

Lance crossed his arms and smirked, "Yeah, I _bet _you are," which earned him a disgruntled look from his best friend.

The former Black Panther commander rolled his eyes and took off to look for Allura. Lance turned to the remaining friends and began to explain the finer points of a full out water-gun battle. As he walked through the woods, he could hear his friends' laughter and taunting in the background as their water war ensued. It brought a contented smile to his face.

The first signs of the Arusian fall were everywhere. Keith couldn't help but be taken in by the bright autumn colors he encountered along his path. The scenery was surreal. _Breathtaking, _he thought as his eyes focused on the princess.

She was leaning against a great maple tree, her hair accented with the colors of the late afternoon sun. Allura was so lost in thought that she didn't even hear Keith approach. Realizing this, he made some rustling sounds in an attempt to alert her to his presence - it worked. Still leaning against the tree, the princess slowly turned to look at him as she softly chuckled.

"I should have known that you wouldn't be far behind," she called out to him with a smile.

"I just wanted to make sure you're OK…are you?"

Allura closed her eyes and lightly shook her head. "I'm fine, Keith."

"Oh, so you have no problem with the way your cousin just manipulated you," he huffed. Annoyed, he crossed his arms.

Allura rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Look, Keith…Romelle has been through hell. And before you go off on the tirade that I can obviously see you're ready for -" she paused briefly as he narrowed his eyes "- I do not blame myself; but that doesn't mean that I cannot have compassion. Is it a weak spot with me? Yes. Will I regret giving in? _Absolutely! _Hell, I already do. But if this is what makes her happy, then…so be it."

Her words sounded as though she was trying to convince herself along with the commander.

"What she said to you was unacceptable, Allura, no matter what the purpose."

She looked up at the sky and then at him. "Yes, it was, and I can assure you that she knows it. I could see the regret as soon as the words escaped from her mouth. She's been a slave for so long, and she's just trying to get her life back." For some reason, the princess defended her cousin.

"You think this _cotillion _will do that?" he snorted. "A huge pain in our ass, that's what this will turn out to be."

It was now her turn to narrow her eyes at him. "Well, commander, I certainly didn't see you jump in and offer your assistance."

He looked at her in amusement. "Oh, so now I'm expected to save you from your cousin as well?"

That comment did not sit well with Allura. She threw him a dirty look before responding.

"I don't need you to save me from anyone, Kogane," she spat as she proceeded to storm past him. As she did, she tripped over his foot, sending them both crashing down in the process.

Her breath catching in her throat, she looked up. Her eyes made contact with the fathomless chocolate browns of her commander, who had practically fallen on top of her.

Keith was entranced by the beauty that lay beneath him. _Well, this is quite the predicament._

"So, Princess, how do you plan on getting out of this one?" Keith taunted her as he somewhat straddled her, immobilizing her legs between his. He used his hands to pin hers down above her head.

She responded with a raised brow. "Well, well, what happened to us being on a first-name basis for the day?"

"I wasn't making reference to your title, Allura. I prefer to think of it as a term of endearment."

"Hmm. Well, in that case, _Commander_, to answer your question…what makes you think that I would want to remove myself from our current situation? I am actually quite comfortable." She delivered the words with a sly smile and a seductive tone.

Although momentarily, Keith was most definitely flustered. When he regained control, he asked mischievously, "So, being this close to me doesn't intimidate you? Interesting."

"Not in the least." She was breathless as she realized just how close they were. His grin turned into a broad smile as he held both her wrists with one hand, using the other to reach down.

Allura looked up at him curiously, her eyes almost daring him to make his move.

He leaned down to a mere inches away from her lips. "Well, how about…" he began huskily as he slowly brought his hand back up, _"...NOW!"_ He used a mini water pistol to squirt water in her face, laughing wildly.

She began squirming around, trying her best to get loose from underneath him, screaming, swatting and laughing at the same time.

"Alright! _Alright! _Stop! You win!" she yelped.

Victorious, he stopped squirting her. He was still laughing as he looked down at her, hair all wet, water beads rolling down her face and neck. Playful and carefree, Allura had never looked as beautiful as she did in that moment.

_Uh-oh. _

He was overcome by a fierce desire to kiss her - to _really _kiss her - and by the pleading expression on her face, he was sure that she wouldn't push him away. He continued to gaze into her eyes as he slowly began to lower himself even closer. She let her now-free hands drift up his shoulders and around his neck, eagerly waiting for the moment their lips would finally meet.

That moment would never come.

"Well, well, would you look at _this_. Talk about your compromising positions...um...I mean _situations_."

_Dammit, Lance. _Keith pushed himself up and shot his second-in-command a nasty glare. He then rose to his feet and turned to the Princess, offering her a hand to help her up.

He either pulled her up too quickly or she was still reeling from their near-kiss that she slammed right into him, needing to grab onto his shoulders in order to maintain her balance. There they were again, in a perfect position to lock lips.

Lance laughed hysterically in the background.

Allura sighed as she broke her gaze from Keith to dart a deadly look in Lance's direction. "What's so funny, Chuckles?" she snorted.

"You are, thinking that you could actually escape unscathed! Ha! Who's all wet _now_?" he snickered.

Allura rolled her eyes at him. Ignoring both of them, she walked back to the main grounds to join up with the rest of the team.

Once the princess was out of earshot, Lance whipped his head around to look at Keith. "So, Kogane, did I interrupt something…_inappropriate_?" he asked with a raised brow.

Keith was in a bit of a daze as he stared after Allura. "What? _No! _Geez, get your mind out of the gutter, Lance!"

"Hey, _you're _the one that said you were Academy Keith today, and Academy Keith would have _fully _taken advantage of that situation I just walked in on."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but _this _version of Academy Keith has morals."

"Oh well, your loss then…" Lance shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away.

Keith raised his brow, ready to question him further, but decided that it would be safer to drop the issue and head back. _I don't want to know._


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you, everyone, for your continued support!_

_KathDMD: Yup, Romy can be a real P.I.T.A...but she will get better...maybe ;-)_

_cubbieberry: I know! I fell off my chair writing it! Hey...tortured love is never easy...and I really like to_

_torment these two...in a good way of course! (hee hee)_

_FroofyB: Nothing like a good outing to get the ball rolling! Lance has a lot more up his sleeve...I assure _

_you :-) Yeah...Romelle has a chip on her shoulder at this point...snooty fr sure!_

_Prairie24: Thank you...will get more interesting for sure!_

_AA- MamaBirdCat: Ah, my Lance. he's a sly little one... Poor Allura, she has no idea what she's gotten_

_herself into!_

_Wade Wells: Girl...get ready for the claws to come out ;-) Our Allie has her hands full for sure! Thank you luv!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron...this story is for pure entertainment purposes and guilty pleasures!_

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 4**_

It turned out that Romelle had, indeed, packed to stay for a month. She wanted to be sure that there were no obstacles to staying on Arus if Allura agreed to host her cotillion...a decision that the planet's Princess was swiftly regretting.

On the bright side, the planning kept Nanny occupied and, therefore, off her case about every little thing.

At least Romelle had listened to her cousin and kept the guest list to a minimum; although, to Allura's great disturbance, the guest list read more like a bachelorette party than a cotillion.

The Polluxian princess' plans most definitely did not adhere to what Allura's idea of a traditional Royal Cotillion was. Nor Nanny's, for that matter. Allura often overheard the two battling over Romelle's choices, most of which Nanny deemed as highly inappropriate. Romelle compromised, allowing Nanny free reign over the luncheon.

Allura found the planning to be extremely boring and nonsensical, and was perturbed with the idea of having strangers in her home. It was bad enough that she was hosting the cotillion, but Romelle had decided to invite a few of her closest friends to come a few days early so that they could all spend some time together.

_Ugh! I can't believe I allowed myself to be guilted into this! _

She was growing aggravated, and she stomped down the great hall heading towards the rec room. Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Sven were all there, sitting back and relaxing, when the door swung open and then was slammed shut by a very frustrated-looking princess.

Sven looked at her face and snorted with laughter. "Let me guess…"

"Geez, Sven! Has she lost her mind?" Allura huffed in exasperation.

Sven put his book down to give her his full attention. "Why? What did she do now?"

"What Romelle is planning is most certainly _not_ a cotillion! It's like…like…I don't know…those dance parties Lance always talks about." She was nearly hysterical, her eyes squinted, waving her hands about.

Lance jumped off the couch. "Hello…did someone say _dance party_? Sign me up, baby!" He swung his hips suggestively in her direction.

Allura huffed at him, crossed her arms, and raised her brow.

"Uh-oh…hey Keith, she's got your look down pat!" He snickered.

"You mean the 'Shut the hell up, Lance' look," Keith replied as he, too, put his book down to see what was going on.

Pidge looked at Allura to gauge her expression. "Yeah Cap, that's the one, for sure!" he decided. "Wow, Princess, you really _do_ have it down _pat_!"

Allura was beside herself. "It's not funny, guys! Nanny is about to blow. Romelle keeps feeding her this 'Modern Royals' line of BS -" she paused to glare at Sven "- and _then _she had the audacity to insult Arus, you know, the birthplace of her 'bloodline', babbling on and on about how Arus is the only planet in the universe that is still stuck in the dark ages and that we need to 'get with the program'!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me! I didn't put that in her head." Sven turned back to his book in defense.

"Lura, with all due respect - and you know how much I respect you - she's kinda right," Lance interjected as he rubbed the back of his head.

Allura spun around and glared at him. _"What?"_ she shrieked. "Please tell me I didn't just hear you correctly, McClain."

Keith leaned into Lance. "Nice goin'," he whispered, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Lance threw him a sideways glance before explaining further. "Allura, have you seen the other Royals out there? Come on, you watch the satellite news with us, you must know that your cousin has a point."

Keith rubbed the space between his eyes, knowing that Lance just made a huge mistake.

"Wow, Lance, that was a _brilliant _assessment. _Bravo." _She mockingly clapped her hands. "So tell me, oh insightful one, do any of those Royals have a maniacal madman out to kidnap her every chance he gets? Are their people orphaned, hungry, and scared? Is someone out to completely annihilate their world?" Allura was entirely unforgiving of the situation.

"Lura..." Lance began, but the princess cut him off.

"Forgive me if my priorities do not include dressing in Gucci from head to toe!" she ranted, fisting her hands at her sides and glaring at the confused expressions on everyone's faces. "Yeah…that's right…I said _Gucci_! I know, it's _so _shocking that the medieval Princess of Arus knows _Gucci_!" She was so angry that she was shaking.

She and Lance were now engaged in a staring contest. Allura's glare was burning, but Lance's was shocked. His intention was most certainly not to enrage her - he had obviously hit a nerve.

Keith pushed Lance aside and moved over to the Princess, placing his hands on her shoulders. She tore her glare from Lance to look at him.

"Hey, relax, Princess. No one here thinks you're medieval. Nanny? Maybe. But you? No chance!" He had tried to make a joke, but quickly dropped his hands from her shoulders after he realized that she was not the least bit satisfied.

"Is that what you guys think? That I dress this way because of _Nanny_? Because _she _tells me to?" She was horrified, looking at each of them for an honest answer.

"Aw, Princess, we know you have a mind of your own, just like we know how pushy Nanny is," Pidge spoke up. "We know you're just choosing your battles, Princess. It's not worth the argument. Not with all the more pressing things you need to deal with." Green Lion's pilot was confident that he had said the right thing.

The rest of them were not so sure, especially by the stance Allura had taken.

Allura snorted and crossed her arms in front of her. "Wow. _Interesting." _

The boys braced themselves for what was about to come.

She then looked at her teammates and friends. "Let me clarify a few things for you gentlemen." She spat out the word _gentlemen_ as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I make my own decisions based on what is best for me as well as the well-being of my planet."

Sven attempted to interrupt. "Princess, no one here is questioning…"

She held her hand up to cut him off. "Please, Holgersson, let me finish."

Surprised, Sven stepped back and nodded.

"I…_hate_…pink. No, actually, let me rephrase that…I _loathe_ pink. I wear the pink dresses and jumpsuits because that is all I have left that fits. The clothing was made for me before the main textile plant was destroyed along with everything else in Arusia...you know, because we're AT WAR!" she spat.

The guys stared back at her, dumbfounded. They had never seen the princess like this before.

"Could I afford to purchase new, high-fashion clothing? Absolutely! But hell will freeze over before I care about my appearance and my wardrobe more than the well-being of my people! The funds I would spend on my wardrobe, I donate to Arusian shelters and orphanages to help feed and clothe my people, not myself. So, yes, I wear those horrible pink dresses that I despise so much not because Nanny wishes it, but because I refuse to focus on such trivial things while my people suffer."

She paused mid-tirade, noticing the somber expressions on everyone's faces.

"Now, if Romelle wants to hire DJs, put up strobe lights, and parade her schwanky friends all over my castle, that's her prerogative. We obviously do not see eye-to-eye on that subject. Got it?" she finished with a bark.

Lance looked absolutely floored. "Look, Lura, I'm sorry if I offended you. I know how much your people mean to you, and no one here expects you to parade around like those prisses we see on TV."

"Actually, if you _did _behave like them, I think I might have to strangle you…just a little." Once again, Keith attempted to lighten up the atmosphere in the room.

"For sure!" Hunk and Pidge chimed in.

Allura was still visibly upset, just beginning to calm down.

"Besides, all those skirts you wear add to the mystery that is…you. It keeps us guessing what you might possibly be hiding underneath," Lance teased.

Keith smacked him upside the head.

"_Ow! _Geez!" He glared at Keith as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, get off it! I know you're curious too, Commander Awesome."

Allura finally laughed, albeit lightly. She then sighed. "I am positively dreading this. I just don't know what Romelle is trying to prove."

Sven looked at her, ready to politely defend his girl. "Allura, don't judge her intentions. Romelle did not grow up surrounded by love and respect. She was handed off to Doom like a piece of meat by her own _family_." He shook his head in disgust. "Trust me, Princess, she adores you and respects you deeply. I'm not sure why she's doing all of this, because this is not like her. But I think she's working through something and feels like she needs to reconnect with people from her past, people she believes are her friends. That's all."

Allura walked over to him and threw her arms around him. "I'm sure you're right, Svenoush. It kills me to know that she has endured so much pain. I only agreed to this because I knew it would make her happy." She was finally calming down. "I'm just venting. I'm sorry."

Sven wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't be. I understand your frustration, believe me. She's had me at a loss the last couple weeks, but I know she'll get over it. She's a tough one, that cousin of yours." He chuckled, planted a kiss on the side of her head, and pulled back to give her a wink.

She smiled at him and giggled, feeling much better. "Thank you, Sven," she offered as she held his hands in hers.

"For what?" he asked quizzically.

"For loving her the way that you do. It's beautiful, really. I see the way you look at each other. I hope she knows how lucky she is to have your love." Allura sighed dreamily.

Sven blushed and then smiled deeply. "She does, of that I am certain."

Allura didn't bother to stifle a laugh. "Good…otherwise, I'd have to kick her ass, and although you were trying to take bets to the contrary, you _know _I could."

He laughed in reply.

She inclined her head in Keith's direction. "Remember, Sven, he trained me."

Lance walked up to them and smacked his arm around Sven. "Told ya, bro! My chick _bad_!" He then grinned and turned his face to Allura. "So, I guess my ploy to get you to wear less clothing didn't work, huh?"

He smiled and waggled his brows up and down. This earned him yet _another _smack upside the head from Keith.

"_Really?" _Lance winced.

Ignoring Lance, Keith turned his attention toward Allura. "Princess, I personally think that your attire suits you." He shot her a dazzling smile, and she giggled.

"Yeah, you _would_, Captain Protocol," Pidge cracked.

After his statement, they all turned to look at the Green Lion pilot, shocked that he of all people would have made that jab.

"Oh, _what_? The little guy _finally _says something and you're all surprised?" Pidge chuckled. "Just blame Lance…he's a bad influence."

Lance rolled his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you to all the new comers and steady followers! Your reviews mean a lot to me and provide me with the encouragement I need to continue!_

_MamaBirdCat: Our Princess has picked up many of the Captain's habits indeed! As far as the cotillion is concerned...there will be some surprises for sure!_

_FroofyB: Yes little Pidge is not so little anymore! I love to have him shock them a bit here and there...things will most definitely continue to get interesting..._

_Prairie24: HA! So true! Lance is like the VF Dinozzo! (Or Dinozzo is NCIS's Lance...hmmmm) Romelle has more in store for Allura...let's hope she can still hold on to her principles ;-)_

_ebon-drake: Welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!_

_WadeWells : Get ready...some soap opera moments will be coming in the next few chapters dah-ling (insert sinister laugh)_

_KathDMD: Lance plays such an important roll between Keith and Allura...I LOVE writing him! Oh...have I mentioned lately how much I adore my editor? ;-)_

_Drowningblonde: Thank you! Yes, in 'Taken' my main focus is introducing the personalities of these characters that we all love, and showing their human side. It will help lay the foundation for my part2 (and so on). Romelle and Allura have suffered greatly, but their upbringing has determined how each handles their suffering...more of that to come as well. As far as the water pistols...well...dirty minds think alike ;-)_

_QiaWriter: Yes! KA Forever! I'm glad you're enjoying!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters...moving on..._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 5**_

In the two weeks following Allura's outburst, the plans for the royal cotillion had all been finalized, and the kickoff was suddenly upon them - the foreign princesses would be arriving later that afternoon. Allura found herself pacing back and forth in the conference room, anxiously biting her thumbnail and furrowing her brow. She had so much on her mind as it was; she didn't need this added stress.

She was most definitely worried about the next few days. Her mind wandered over various scenarios, all of them somehow involving the Prince of Doom. She resigned herself to the fact that, yes, she would be sharing her castle with these nitwit princesses for a while, and threw herself onto the conference table chair in a moment of defeat.

She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Keith had entered the room. He tried to catch her attention several times before she finally noticed.

Concern was written all over his face as he sat down in the chair next to her. She stared at him blankly.

"Princess, what's going on with you? You're a million miles away," he pointed out, concerned.

"What? Oh, sorry. You know how I get when my mind wanders." She sighed.

"Yeah, I hear you." He looked at her once more. "So, on that note, do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

She looked back at him intently, studying him with her eyes. She knew then that he, too, was worried; he was doing a great job of hiding it…but she knew.

She sighed once more. "You _know _what's bothering me, Keith."

He raised his brow at her as if in question, but then let out a sigh himself. Returning her intense gaze, he replied, "Yeah, I suppose I do." His expression softened.

She stated her concern with fear in her eyes. "It's been a month, Keith."

"I know."

"And he's been too quiet."

"I know."

"He's got to be up to something."

"I know."

"Keith," she huffed impatiently, "do you think you could say something to me besides _I know_?"

He knew how nervous she was, and he held her gaze as if to comfort her without words. Uncomfortable, she broke eye contact and looked down at her hands.

The captain reached over and took her hand in his, causing her to look at him once more. "Hey, what are you worried about? Just leave the worrying to me, and I promise it'll all be OK."

"Keith, this castle will be loaded with royals from influential worlds. Who are you going to protect first? You can't tell me not to worry…"

He cut her off. "I don't give a damn about those other royals, Allura." His words were laced with venom. "You, and _only _you, are my top priority…do you understand?" He stroked her hand soothingly.

"Keith, that's very noble of you, but you know that's not how it works."

"Really? Why? Have I ever let you down?" he asked softly.

She shook her head forcefully. "Gods, _no_! That's not what I meant, and you know it!" she answered, annoyed that he could even think such a thing.

He ran his other hand through his hair. "Princess, whatever crazy plan Lotor decides to pull off, we'll be ready…that's all I'm saying. I don't want you to drive yourself crazy thinking about the 'what ifs'. We'll handle it as a team, like we always do." He spoke with tenderness in his voice.

She continued to focus on him, slowly becoming aware of the fact that he was still holding her hand and gently stroking it with his thumb. The realization gave her goosebumps.

He lifted his other hand to push a stray hair out of her face. "I won't let anything happen to you, Princess. I promise I won't let him hurt you. I'll _always _come for you." His voice was filled with gentle confidence.

She smiled brightly at him. "I know."

The whisper had barely made it past her lips when Coran and Lance came through the door, interrupting the moment. Keith and Allura both looked at them both curiously, and Keith moved to stand.

"Don't bother, Fearless," Lance snorted, crossing his arms in front of him. "You're gonna want to sit for this one."

As if in agreement, Coran wore a disgruntled expression on his face.

"Uh-oh, this can't be good," the Princess whispered nervously.

"I have to agree with you," Keith whispered back. He then focused his attention on the advisor. "What's going on, Coran?"

Coran cleared his throat anxiously, and Allura's expression grew heavy with alarm. "Well, Captain," he began, "I received a call from King Fallon this morning."

"Francesca's father, correct?" Allura surmised, her voice heavy with distaste.

Coran looked back at her and cleared his throat once more. "Yes, Princess, that would be correct."

Allura sat back in her chair, crossed her arms in front of her, and pouted. _"Fantastic. _This ought to be good."

Keith, in disbelief of Allura's childish behavior, glared at her momentarily.

"Yes, well…the King has requested that you, Captain Kogane, be the one responsible for guarding his daughter."

"Ha! What a _joke_!" Allura spat in interruption. "I'm so _sure_ that was the King's request! Ooh, I can't _stand _that conniving little bitch!"

Keith and Lance both whipped their heads to look in her direction.

"Princess Allura! Please mind your language and try to keep your opinions to yourself!" Coran promptly lectured, the shock evident in his words.

Allura hissed in response.

"Coran, with all due respect, you can advise the King that my job is not to babysit his daughter. My primary focus is Arus and Princess Allura…period," Keith stated firmly.

"I'm afraid it is not up for discussion, Captain. He insists." Coran closed his eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on.

Keith laughed. "With all due respect, Coran, I don't work for King Fallon, so I don't give a damn. Lance is more than capable of watching Francesca in my stead." He smirked, inclining his head towards his second-in-command. "Besides, it's right up his alley."

Lance snapped his fingers. "You _know _it, man!"

Coran shook his head. "That's not good enough, Commander. The King knows of your stellar reputation and only wants you protecting his daughter…especially considering the circumstances."

_Uh-oh, _Lance thought. He began to move slowly towards Allura, sensing that Keith might blow. He was right. Keith angrily stood up and slammed his palms on the table.

"So, let me get this straight: you want me to leave our Princess - the last remaining monarch and heir - unprotected so that I can watch over some spoiled rotten royal that I could give two hells about? That won't happen, Coran! She can high-tail it back to her daddy for all I care!" Keith yelled.

"Commander…"

"No! Lotor has been quiet too long…he's planning something big and you know it! He sure as hell isn't going to come after Princess Francesca, he's after her!" He motioned towards Allura, his arm swinging violently. "_She_ is my priority, got it?"

Allura moved closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Keith…"

"Don't even!" he barked, spinning around to look at her. "You and I just talked about this, Princess, so _don't_!" He turned back to glare at Coran.

The royal advisor sighed. He was certainly not used to seeing the Commander in such a state; he was always the voice of reason. "Commander, you are justified in your anger, but please understand that we must retain good relations with King Fallon. He is very influential within the Alliance." He paused to let the gravity of his words sink in. "I am sure that Lance is more than capable of protecting Princess Allura for the next few days."

Keith felt his entire body tense. His jaw was clenched and twitching, and Lance could see the throbbing vein in his neck.

He looked over at Allura and sighed before starting in on his friend. "Keith…don't go off on me now, OK?"

His best friend threw him a suspicious look.

"I know you're a control freak and all, but you know damn well that I wouldn't let anything happen to Allura. Besides, I know you, you'll be all 'protection multitasking' regardless."

Keith continued to glare at him before slowly turning to look at Allura. He could read her like a book. She stood there, looking strong and confident, trying to act as though he was making a big deal of nothing, but he knew better; he knew that she was just as concerned as he was.

Allura locked eyes with him and felt his inner conflict. Sure he knew Lance was capable, but he felt personally responsible for her. He had promised her, and she knew that he didn't trust anyone else to protect her the way he could.

She smiled sweetly at him in hopes of calming his demeanor, then placed her hand over his arm once more. "Keith, it's OK. Lance would never let anything happen to me. Besides, your comm is attached to your hip. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first to know so you can ditch Princess Pompous like that!" She snapped her fingers.

Keith looked down, closed his eyes, and attempted to hold in a chuckle. He then looked back up at her with amusement in his eyes. "_Throw_ her in a ditch may be more like it."

She giggled.

"Don't be so confident, Commander. Although Princess Allura carries a grudge, most young men happen to find Princess Francesca quite irresistible," Coran informed the guys with a sly smirk of his own, earning a nasty glare from his young charge.

"Really?" Lance raised a brow as he looked from Keith to Allura. "You didn't mention that little tidbit, your Highness. Was Romelle correct in her assumption regarding you and a little competition?"

Allura looked back at him and rolled her eyes. "Well, she certainly is _your_ type, _that's_ for sure."

Lance crossed his arms in front of him and cocked his head to the right. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"Easy, desperate, and manipulative, of course!" she shot out.

Lance grabbed at his heart. "Ugh, I'm hurt that you would think so low of me, Princess."

She, in turn, laughed and swatted him on the arm.

"Are you two done?" Keith snapped, annoyed. He looked back at Coran, who was now smiling. He found it disturbing, to say the least. "Coran, for the record, I want to make it very clear that I am completely against this."

"Understood, Commander," Coran nodded.

After some briefing on Coran's part, he and Keith left the conference room to go over additional security measures, as well as finalize the plans for the arrival of the 'royals'. As soon as they exited, Allura's entire demeanor changed. She looked upset and frustrated as she plopped down on the chair.

Lance looked at her, confused. "Hey, what the hell happened to you all of a sudden?" he asked.

In response, Allura squinted her eyes, groaned, and then buried her face in her hands. Lance moved over to where she was sitting and pulled her hands off her face.

"Seriously, Lura-Lu…what gives?" he asked, concerned.

"It's Francesca," she answered simply.

"Um, what about her?"

"Let's just say, she is what you guys would call 'really hot'."

"And your point is?" Lance asked, having an idea of where this conversation was going.

"She requested him on purpose, Lance. She's a leech…no, no…a praying mantis…yeah, that's what she is!" She made a strangling gesture with her hands and gritted her teeth.

Lance laughed at her, which earned him a nasty look. "Hey, I still don't get what you're so worked up about," he chuckled.

"Don't you see? She wants Keith to follow her around so she can sink her filthy little claws into him! _Ugh!" _

"And what? You think Keith's gonna fall for it? Ha! That's a joke."

Allura furrowed her brow at him and actually grunted. "You haven't seen her in action, Lance. She's good, _really _good. Walking around, swaying her hips in her skimpy little outfits, batting her eyelashes. Oh, and the touching…ugh! What a nightmare!" She slammed her head down onto the table.

Lance found the situation extremely amusing. He had to remind himself that Allura had really never experienced all the trials and tribulations of adolescence. He actually found her reaction sweet and charming - in a way, she reminded him of the girls back in the Academy.

He gently rubbed her back and she looked up at him. "You're being silly, Lura. You know that, right?"

She huffed sarcastically, "Am I?"

He nodded in reply.

"How much do you wanna bet that all of your tongues hit the floor when she walks off the ship…every one of you, including Sven?" she challenged as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"No way," he shot back confidently. "We've seen plenty of hot chicks, Allura. Really."

Her gaze continued to issue a challenge.

"OK, I'll tell you what. If that _does _happen, then I will personally buy you the most fantabulous dress you have ever seen to wear at Romelle's little shindig; but, if I'm right…hmmm…what to do? Ah, I know…oh yeah…this'll be good…you'll have to pinch Keith's ass." He laughed loudly.

Allura rolled her eyes at him. "_Seriously,_ Lance? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Hell yeah! It'll be priceless!"

"Well, it _won't _be, because it's not going to happen. I already know that I'm going to win this one, so…deal!" She held out her hand to shake his.

He looked at her skeptically. "Wow, that sure of yourself, huh?"

"What's the matter, McClain? Too chicken to take the bet?"

"Me? Never!" He took her hand and shook on it. "It will be a pleasure to see you lose, Princess."

"Oh no, McClain, the pleasure will be all mine."


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello Everyone! This chapter is a little shorter than my usual so I may post another chapter in a few days...we'll see how it goes..._

_Wadewells: You make me smile. Your series was my first exposure to FF and you continue to inspire me. I love writing dialogue and showing how our fav characters interact with each other...so glad your enjoying it...get ready...it's about to get bumpy(er) _

_KathDMD: Here she comes...watch out! As you know, I am trying really hard to show Keith's other sides. He is not just the Noble One, he's a young guy...just like the rest of them only he has more control over his emotions...or does he..hmmm? ;-) XOXO_

_cubbieberyy: LOL...no, Wade is not my editor but definitely one of my mentors! It can never be a smooth ride for our favorite couple...and it's going to get more complicated so get the meds out! Just keep this in mind... I AM a devoted KAer...just sayin' ;-)_

_FroofyB: Cat fight!...and these women are definitely 'catty'..HA! Coran...poor man...he will certainly have his hands full for sure..._

_AA-MamaBirdCat: Romelle is in her own little lala land lately...but that will change...we hope ;-) So much going on with this young group of friends...jealousy, friendship, envy, love... and putting that all aside to deal with an ongoing war. I wanted the opportunity to show their 'normal' side...at least for now... and it will be quite a cocktail of emotion for sure!_

_Drowningblond: She's not a red-head (saving the red head for later) but most definitely man stealin'! I'm ashamed to say that I have yet to get ahold of Devil's Due...however, this is how I have always seen Allura. She's a 20 year old princess who, in essence, hasn't really lived the life of a true royal, nor has she experienced anything that normal adolescent girls experience. On the other side of the coin, she HAS experienced more pain, suffering, and violence than any normal girls her age. 'My' Allura is also one kick-butt beyatch(...as you will find out in Book 2 ;-) ) Here comes Spider Woman...or maybe Black Widow?..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or it's characters..._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 6**_

Her guest list was small, but it included some of the most influential royals in the Denubian Galaxy. Romelle had invited mostly friends that she had grown up with: Princess Marion of Litta, Princess Cayla of Cyrus, Princess Nora of Philipi, and last - but certainly not least - Princess Francesca Raymoni of Carthica IV. Other than a few unfortunate run-ins with Princess Francesca, Allura was not acquainted with the others.

The invited princes were much older, as they had been very close friends of Romelle's deceased brother Avok. Allura knew them as well. She had actually grown up with many of them around, all of them looking after her like big brothers...until _he_ was murdered. It was too painful after that. This was her first time seeing them since the tragedy that had changed her life forever.

She let out an anguished sigh as she approached Romelle's guest room. Princess Marion and Princess Francesca were on final approach for landing, and she knew that Romelle was anxious to see them. So, hesitantly, she knocked on the door. She heard her cousin bustling around inside as she scrambled to answer.

The door swung open, and Allura rolled her eyes. "Ugh! _Really_, Romelle?" she huffed.

Romelle was dressed in a daringly short, fitted black-and-white dress with knee-high black leather high-heeled boots. Her dark blonde hair was slicked back into a ponytail, held high on her head with a band of obsidian stones. Instead of her circlet, she wore a delicate tiara.

She looked at Allura as she bounced her way out of the room.

"Where in the universe did you find that get-up?" the Arusian princess added.

Romelle sighed. "I ordered it online, Allura. You know…computers? There are millions of boutiques online." She spun around and posed. "This outfit happens to be one of my favorites. So, how do I look?"

Allura looked at her and fought her instincts to tell her cousin exactly what she thought. "You look great, Romelle," she lied. "Very fashionable."

Romelle smiled. "Why, thank you, dear cousin. You know, you can borrow something if you'd like. We still have time."

"Romelle, I'm fine the way I am. I'm not out to make friends or impress anyone. This is all about you, so let's go greet your friends and get on with it!" Allura was most certainly not going to change into some silly outfit just to impress a bunch of even sillier royals.

"You know, Al, it wouldn't kill you to try and have a little fun," she snorted in retaliation.

"Melle, I'll just leave the fun to you. I have Personal Training after this, so let's go." Allura walked past her cousin and began to make her way toward the landing dock area.

Romelle quickly caught up with her. "So, I heard that Keith is going to be Francesca's personal bodyguard…and maybe more by the time she's done with him," she teased.

Allura whipped around to throw her cousin a deadly glare. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and her blood was boiling. "Romelle, that comment was _completely _uncalled for."

Romelle was taken aback. She moved to speak, but was interrupted by Sven.

"There you are! We've been looking all over for you two." He stopped as he caught up with them. _"Oj, oj, oj! _Woman, you look _fantastic_!"

A smile curled onto his lips as he looked his girlfriend over. Then, raising an eyebrow, he wrapped his arm around Romelle's shoulders and brought her in for a kiss.

Romelle giggled and swatted at his chest, completely forgetting about Allura. "Oh, _stop_," she toyed.

Allura, however, had not moved, and had certainly not forgotten about her cousin's catty remark. She continued to glare at Romelle. Then, darting a look in Sven's direction, she spun on her heel and marched towards the landing bay.

Sven looked down at Romelle. "What did you say to her now, Elle?" he asked in an almost scolding tone of voice.

She smacked her lips. "Nothing. I just mentioned that Francesca and Keith might hit it off, that's all," she replied matter-of-factly.

Sven wanted to slap his forehead with his palm. "_Åh, gode Gud, _Romelle!" he groaned.

"What? What's the big deal?" she asked innocently.

He shot her a disappointed look as he took her arm and led her to the landing bay.

Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were dressed in their semi-formal uniforms, awaiting the arrival of the two princesses. They were going over the last-minute details with Coran when Allura stormed in. She made such a ruckus that they all turned to look at her.

Coran raised a brow. "Is everything alright, your Highness?" he questioned.

Allura raised her hand and marched past them all to take her position in the bay. "I'm fine," she replied in a strained voice. "It's just that I have things to do, so I'd like to get this over with."

Romelle and Sven entered the hangar, and the Polluxian princess was greeted with glances of approval from the guys. "Hot damn, girl! You look _awesome_!" Lance howled.

"Down, boy. This one's taken," Sven reminded his friend.

"Luck of the draw, my good Viking. Things would have been different if she had laid eyes on me first." He used his thumb to point to himself.

Keith patted him on the back. "You just keep telling yourself that, McClain," he laughed.

Lance rolled his eyes at him, then abandoned him in favor of Allura. Once he was close enough, he leaned in to whisper, "Ready to do some butt smacking, your Majesty?"

Allura snorted. "Lancelot, Lancelot…the only smacking I'm going to do is to the back of your head to bring you back to reality so that I can rub it in that I was right…_again_."

"Ah ah ah, Princess…this cockiness doesn't suit you."

She turned and patted him on the cheek. "I learned from the best."

Keith had been watching their interaction, and snuck up behind them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No. I've simply been schooling our Lieutenant Commander on the finer points of chivalry to ensure that he doesn't make an ass out of himself," she informed the captain with a sly grin.

"Funny that you should choose to use the word _ass_, Princess…" Lance began.

Keith raised his hand to cut him off. "Never mind. I don't want to know. Forget I asked." He cringed.

Just then, the docking bay doors opened as the ship taxied into its assigned hardstand.

"Positions!" Keith called out.

The guys fell into position as was customary for all visiting dignitaries. Allura stepped back behind them so that she could observe them all as Francesca stepped off the ramp, making sure to stand directly behind Lance.

Coran looked at her with a raised brow, but she raised her index finger and motioned that she would return into position in just a moment. He nodded in understanding.

The ramp lowered, and Princess Marion walked down, followed by a scantily-clad Princess Francesca.

To say that Francesca's fire-red dress was short and tight would be an understatement; it definitely did not leave much to the imagination, as the young woman was indeed well-endowed. It also did not detract from the princess' flawless porcelain skin, full pink lips, long black hair, and sparkling sapphire-blue eyes.

Allura looked at her boys; each one held a dumbfounded expression. They were completely entranced by the voluptuous princess, and instantly smitten with her. Sven included.

"Pfft!" she spat, walking up behind Lance and smacking him hard upside the head. He shook his head as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "It had better be one _hell _of a dress, McClain."

She triumphantly made her way back to her position, knowing full well that she had won their bet.

Lance then took notice of his friends' expressions and shook his head while sporting a knowing grin. He took it upon himself to smack each of them a well. "Geez, Keith…gawk much?" he laughed.

Keith shot him a vicious glare, which only made Lance laugh harder.

"Um, does that even constitute as clothing? Because I certainly don't see much of it," Pidge stuttered.

"She sure is something, man," Hunk mumbled, still in a daze.

"Oh yeah, she's a real peach," Allura tossed out sarcastically as Francesca approached her.

"Why, Princess Allura, darling! I haven't seen you in _ages_! It's so nice to see that you still insist on keeping up with Victorian tradition," the Carthican princess greeted her in a pretentious tone.

"What can I say, I like vintage," Allura smirked. "Of course, Francie darling, I'm not surprised to see so much of _you_. I certainly hope that that swatch of fabric you're wearing didn't set you back too much."

The boys' eyes widened in shock at Allura's sarcastic jab.

Coran leaned into his young charge. _"Princess!" _he hissed, aghast.

"Oh, please don't worry yourself, Coran," Francesca responded smoothly. She didn't bat an eye against the assault from the Arusian princess. "Allura and I have an understanding."

"Sure, that's exactly what it is," Allura cracked.

Francesca just smiled serenely, holding Allura's stare. The guys had to admit, the Carthican princess was indeed impressive on many levels.

Lance leaned into Keith. "Um, do I sense some animosity here?"

"My friend, I don't want to get in the middle of this one," Keith sighed.

Laughing, Lance clapped him on the back. "Ha! Too late, Fearless! You're already in too deep here - good luck!"

Feeling the tension in the room rising, Romelle tore herself away from Sven's side and made her way over to Allura and Francesca as quickly as she could. "Francesca, darling! How wonderful of you to come!" she greeted the voluptuous princess.

Francesca tore her gaze away from Allura to hug Romelle. "Nonsense, Romy! I'm just so glad that your cousin here was gracious enough to allow you to host us on Arus. Finally, a place that the paparazzi avoid…it's refreshing, really." Her words were intended as a sarcastic blow.

Romelle lowered her gaze and looked at Allura, who was stoic and unflinching. Hunk was about to blurt something out in defense at the blatant insult, but Pidge stopped him.

Lance had fire in his eyes. _Who does this bitch think she is?_ he thought angrily, suddenly sorry that he had ever found this princess attractive.

Keith inched closer to Allura as he addressed Francesca. "Well then, I'm glad that you feel refreshed, your Highness. Since Arus does not have much to offer a woman of your stature, am I to assume that you will be spending most of your time on castle grounds?"

"Yes, I suppose that's correct," Francesca sighed.

Allura shot her a sly smirk. "Fabulous. Captain Kogane will be available to protect you should you venture off castle grounds. While you are within our safe zone, you are on your own. Now, if you will excuse us, we have work to do."

She paused as she turned to her team._ "Gentlemen," _she called out, using the term loosely.

They each bowed to the princesses, and then waited to escort Allura and Coran out. As she walked away, Allura turned and looked over her shoulder. "Ta ta!" she smirked, giving them a mocking wave of her hand.

Francesca was not amused.

Romelle sighed and wrapped her arm around Sven's waist as the four of them made their way into the castle. _This is going to be a __long__ couple of days..._


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your support! I can only hope to keep you all interested and coming back!_

_AA- MamaBirdCat: I think they are all at a loss over Romelle...She is definitely going through quite a phase for sure._

_Drowningblonde: 'Invasion of the Space Hookers' LOL...could be an alternate title for sure! Spider Woman isn't through yet..._

_KathDMD: Schwanky...hee hee...I use to use this word in my 'party days' to describe all the little 'Francies' out there...so fitting now...especially coming from Allie...Sven is quite the hottie and Romy better get with the program soon..or I will ship him over to you...a gift of thanks ;-) People...my editor rocks...just sayin...xxoxo_

_Smithy: Lance will be with someone...eventually...although not until later in the series...it will be worth it...I promise. No way I'll leave my favorite 'friend' high and dry! Our catty ladies have much more in store..._

_Wadewells: Right? I love catty Allie too ;-) The party will be loaded with drama...that I can assure!_

_Andi:The Illustrious Commander is relieved...for now...he shouldn't get too comfy though...Francie is one sneaky "Space Hooker" (too quote Drowningblonde!)_

_cubbieberry: My sweet Cubbie...the one who has single-handedly inspired the KA resurgence! I will not let you down Luv!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters...moving on..._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 7**_

Alone, Allura sat in her office, looking over the piles and piles of reports sitting on her desk. She was overwhelmed by the amount of destruction spreading over her planet.

_My planet._

It hadn't always been so difficult. In the past, Arus was split into five houses, each with its own governing presence; although the Lion Kingdom, as it was often referred to, was the only ruling house. Now she was left to worry about them all. She was so thankful to have Coran's guidance, otherwise this job would take up more of her time than it actually did.

She weeded through the paperwork to find the intelligence reports in question; she needed to hand them over to Keith so that he could determine validity. It was time-consuming work, filled with too many fine details, and the minutiae was driving her crazy. A little over an hour later, she found that she had to sit back, take a deep breath, and close her eyes.

Her meditation was disrupted by a knock at her door. "Come in, " she called out, grateful for the distraction.

Coran entered her office and made his way over to her desk. He sat down in the chair across from her, and as he looked at the princess, he felt his concern for her rush through his blood.

"Princess, are you alright?" The worry was evident in his voice.

Allura looked up at him, weary-eyed. "I don't know, Coran. I just don't know how we're ever going to recover." She sighed as she leaned her head into the palm of her hand.

"Ah, I see. You're looking over the reports," he acknowledged.

She met his gaze once more. "Coran, look at how long it's taking us to rebuild the Lion Kingdom. Arusia is just now starting to gain momentum. How will we ever be able to take care of the other four?" she asked him, her voice angst-ridden.

"Princess, you mustn't put so much pressure on yourself." He placed a gentle hand over hers. "Arus _will _thrive once again, in due time. We just have to take things as they come, Child."

"Tell that to the people, Coran. The majority are homeless and hungry, and I have no way to support them." Her voice shook.

"My precious girl, they know you are doing your best."

"Do they? I'm not so sure." She broke her gaze from Coran and looked down. "Maybe we need to arrange a visit to the southern hemisphere. I want them to know that I have not forgotten about them."

The royal advisor smiled, nodding in agreement. "Of course, Princess. That can be arranged." He noticed that her face continued to hold a look of contemplation. "What is it, Princess? What are you thinking?"

She met his gaze once again. "Why haven't they resurfaced, Coran? When the boys arrived, I truly believed that the time had come, especially after Romelle was found."

"Allura, please. If anyone should understand the workings of fate and destiny, it's you. You have seen enough of the prophecy unfold before your eyes to know this."

Frustrated, her lips came together tightly. "I know, I _know_…but why Romelle and not the others?"

"I cannot answer this for you, Allura. The fates must have a reason." He paused to let his next statement sink in. "Don't forget that Romelle was not sent into hiding with the others. She remained on Pollux. It's a wonder that she is still alive."

"The only reason she _is_ alive is because Haggar must not have figured it out," she snorted.

"Thank the Lions for small favors, your Highness."

Allura nodded in agreement.

"Princess, I will talk with the Captain, and we will arrange for a trip to the South as soon as this..._hoopla..._that Romelle has planned is over. Please, relax. Forget about the prophecy for now; you have enough to deal with as it is." He patted her hand once more.

"No doubt about that." She grinned and leaned back in her chair. "Now, what did you need me for?"

"Nothing, really. You have been in here for so long that I just wanted to see if you were alright," he replied kindly.

"Ah, yes. I'm just in hiding, I guess." She smiled sweetly at her surrogate father.

He chuckled sarcastically. "I cannot _imagine _why. That Francesca certainly hasn't changed, at least not for the better. My goodness, I thought I'd have to shuttle Nanny off to the infirmary after she saw that vixen." He laughed whole-heartedly, and Allura joined him.

Then, abruptly, her laughter died. "I'm sorry, Coran," she choked out somberly.

"For what, Child?"

"I know that you were upset with my behavior on Francesca's arrival, but she insulted me and she insulted my home. I couldn't just let that go."

"Nonsense, Child! I am not the least bit upset with you." He took note of her surprise. "Allura, you have endured so much in your young life…remember, I know all of the truths, at least of the past. I cannot imagine what that heathen has put you through." He paused, his face expressing his emotional pain, and he squeezed her hand. "You have missed out on so much, my dearest, and you still continue to sacrifice yourself for others. Allura, I would give anything to see you laughing and enjoying your life the way these other young royals do. You would give Princess Francesca a real run for her money if you allowed yourself some of those guilty pleasures." He shook his head. "She had no right to speak to you that way. Don't forget, unlike everyone else, _I _understand the grudge you hold."

Allura stood up and walked around her desk towards her royal advisor, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much, Coran. I don't know what I would do without you. You are the only person who truly knows me, and I am so grateful to have you in my life."

Coran returned her embrace and kissed the side of her head. "You may not be my child by blood, my Princess, but you are my daughter in every other sense of the word. I will always be here for you, Dearest."

Allura looked at him and smiled lovingly.

"Now, what do you say you take a break? Nanny is making a fabulous dinner."

Allura slowly backed away. "Coran, if you don't mind, I need to excuse myself from dinner - I don't want to put myself in an unpleasant situation. I'll eat later, when everyone else has finished." She shrugged. "I will go for a walk instead."

Coran nodded. "Very well, Princess. I will see to it that Nanny sets aside a plate for you." With those words, he excused himself.

Once he was gone, Allura took a deep breath, forcing herself out of the office and down the main hall. She was about to enter the rec room, but she stopped when she overheard the guys talking about Francesca. Holding her breath, she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"How the heck did you get suckered into _that, _Cap?" Hunk asked, bewildered.

"Actually, I kind of offered," Keith answered, clearing his throat.

Lance whipped around to glare at him. "You _what_?" he snapped.

"You _offered_?" Hunk screeched. "Man, Chief, that's _bold_."

"Yeah, I believe it may even count as a treasonous act against the crown!" Pidge cried.

Keith rolled his eyes, "Oh, relax, all of you…it's not a big deal."

Lance looked as though he wanted to slap the Voltron captain. "Like _hell _it isn't, Chief! Allura's going to lose it!"

Keith glared at his second-in-command and crossed his arms in front of him. "Why in the name of God would the princess 'lose it' over something so meaningless?" he inquired.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Commander Know-It-All," Lance argued. "Did you happen to miss the whole exchange in the docking bay? That chick is a royal _bitch_, that's what she is! She _totally _insulted Allura!"

"Oh, come on, Lance. Allura's better than that - she wouldn't allow someone that catty to bring her down." Keith shrugged. "Besides, she's really not _that _bad. Sure, she's pretentious, but she's tolerable."

Lance's eyes widened in disbelief. "Have you lost it, man? Do you even hear yourself?"

Pidge furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, Keith, we'd expect this from Lance, but from _you_? It's shocking, really."

"Aw, admit it, Chief, you just like lookin' at her," Hunk teased.

Lance wasn't about to let his friend off the hook. "Seriously, Keith...since when did you become so shallow?"

"Wow, how _dare _I be human," Keith spat.

Lance looked at him and shook his head disgustedly.

Irritated, Keith ran a hand through his hair. "You know, you guys are making a bigger deal out of this than it is. Besides, it's not like I'm going anywhere alone with her. The only reason I offered was because Sven, Romelle, and Princess Marion were going as well, so…_enough_. Stop trying to make this into something that it's not."

Lance staunchly defended Allura. "Hey, you're the one who said she was hot."

"I _never _said that, Lance!"

"Oh, so you don't think she's hot?"

Keith clenched his fists and glared angrily at his second. "What are you trying to get me to say, Lance? I'd be lying if I said that Francesca wasn't attractive, but she is most certainly _not _my type. There…does that ease your conscience?"

"Yeah…well…we'll just see how well you do when she turns up the heat, oh Fearless." He laughed, and Hunk and Pidge joined him.

Keith grunted in exasperation. Throwing his hands in the air, he attempted to walk out of the room.

"Well, _I _sure don't want to be around when the Princess finds out," Pidge informed Lance and Hunk.

"You don't want to be around when the Princess finds out _what_?" Allura repeated calmly as she came up behind them.

They all whipped around and stared at her nervously.

Keith, who hadn't yet made it out of the room, shook his head and slowly moved forward until he was standing in front of her. "Apparently, these knuckleheads think that you'll completely lose it over the fact that I offered to escort Francesca into town with the others," he explained.

She'd heard everything before she entered and she _did_ want to go off on him, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let him in on that little tidbit. "Francesca? _Really?" _she asked with a very slight giggle. "Well, I suppose that if you're comfortable enough with _Francesca _to drop her title, then it doesn't really matter what I think, now does it?" She kept her voice calm and even.

He looked at her, slightly confused, as did everyone else.

"What's with the looks, guys?"

"Um, we're not quite sure how to take what you just said, Princess." Keith rubbed the back of his head.

She stiffened as he called her _Princess, _and then looked at him with a phony smile. "Oh, come on now, _Commander_. After almost two years you still can't call me _Allura_, and yet you are already comfortable with calling Francesca by her first name. It's sweet, really."

He just continued to look at her, his mouth agape.

She placed a hand on his arm. "Commander, you deserve a break more than any of us. All I'm saying is that my opinion of Francesca is of no consequence. It's my own personal grudge, nothing more. And it certainly doesn't mean that you have to share in that grudge." She shot him another phony smile. "I want you to go and enjoy yourself, really."

She saw that he was about to say something in reply, but she held up her hand to stop him. "In any case, I was just passing by, and I wanted to stop and say goodnight to all of you, as I will not be joining you for dinner."

"Why not?" Keith asked hesitantly. He was still confused by her explanation.

"As I said earlier, Commander, I hold a grudge, and I don't want things to get ugly." She then turned to Lance. "I'll see you later, I hope?"

He raised his brow slightly. "Um, yeah, of course. I'll find you after dinner."

Satisfied with his answer, she turned to leave, but she stopped to look at Keith before she exited. "Oh yes, Commander, I forgot. I've just spent the past couple of hours going over all of the paperwork on my desk. I've put aside the intelligence reports for you. If you wouldn't mind picking them up at some point tomorrow...?"

"Sure, Princess, of course. I'll swing by to get them tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Commander," she replied, then walked out of the room.

Once she had left, Pidge wiped his glasses along the hem of his shirt. "Um, what just happened?" he asked.

"Dude, I don't know but it was definitely weird," Hunk responded, his eyes wide.

Lance snorted in disgust. "_That's_ an understatement."

Keith continued to stare at the door, not quite sure _what _to think.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you, once more, to all those reading, following, 'favoriting', and posting reviews! I know, we're all annoyed with our illustrious captain...he will wake up...eventually..._

_and redeem himself ;-)_

_AA-MamaBirdCat: Coran and Allura have a great father/daughter relationship in the series I'm writing. I prefer to see him as her supporter rather than overbearing. There will be more 'precious moments' between them down the line. In Part 2, I believe that I have a line in which one of the boys describe Keith as a brilliant military strategist but dumb as sh-t in the woman department...yeah...so true...but when he finally wakes up...it will be worth it!_

_KathDMD: Yes, Francie is certainly special, isn't she? I'm just thinking of that new nick-name that's about to be introduced (LOL!) So fitting! Seven Hells...my editor rocks! xoxox_

_WadeWells: Ah my dear...our favorite sexy captain will definitely have his moments in this series...some will make you want to slap him REALLY hard...while others will make you want to *ehem* 'hug' him (or whatever else you may fancy ;-) ) He may start waking up by the time the cotillion rolls around...or...not..._

_Sarmi: Allie isn't gonna take crap from anyone...especially not Francie for sure!_

_idstealer000: yes...a really...really..REALLY big rock! No worries...Lance has a plan..._

_petite0312: Our kick-ass Voltron commander is so naive when it comes to Allura...time for Lance to add some 'salt-n-pepper' to the mix!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters in any way..._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 8**_

Allura quickly made her way into her bedroom and punched in the code to open the door. Once inside, she locked it behind her and collapsed on her bed, sobbing. She was heartbroken about so many things: the state of her planet, the endless fighting, her painful past, her people's torment, and now yet another loss…_Keith._

She wasn't sure how long she'd been laying there in self-pity before she heard the knock on her door. She looked at the time and groaned.

_Lance. _

Miserably, she rolled off the bed and slowly made her way toward the door. Taking a deep breath, she punched in the codes to elicit the familiar swooshing sound. As the door opened, she leaned against the frame and looked up at the one person she considered to be her closest friend.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Lance asked carefully, walking past her to enter her seating area.

She rolled her blood-shot eyes as she closed the door behind him. "I don't believe I invited you in," she murmured, unable to look at him.

Lance took a seat on the couch and smiled at her. "You didn't have to. I _know _you, remember?"

She dropped her chin to her chest and her arms to her sides, then shuffled over to take a seat next to him. She put her head on his shoulder and felt her face contort. No, she wouldn't cry in front of him. She would _not._

He, in turn, wrapped his arm around her comfortingly. "Oh, my poor princess, you're all swollen and puffy."

That did it. She began to cry, the tears noiselessly streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, don't cry. Please don't cry." He wiped the stray tears off her face with the sleeve of his brown leather jacket. "I have to say, you handled that pretty well, Lura-Lu. I thought you would've lost it for sure." He grinned. "I'm proud of you."

She lifted her head up to look at him. "That's because I walked into it prepared. And thank the gods I did." She then proceeded to bite her thumbnail, the same way she usually did when she was nervous.

He furrowed his brow, confused. "Care to elaborate?"

She pursed her lips together before glancing up at the ceiling. "Um...I may have overheard you guys talking." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt silly, and she let out a little laugh.

"You mean, you were _eavesdropping_," Lance clarified, laughing along with her.

"Oh, whatever…tomato, tomahto…"

Her words made him laugh even more. "Yeah, well…still, that was very well played, Principessa." He rubbed her back.

She looked at him and sighed. "So, anyway, what's _that_ all about?"

"What's _what _all about?"

"You guys don't know her, Lance. She's a conniving little bitch."

Lance looked surprised at her choice of words. "Well, well, it looks like I _am_ rubbing off on you after all…I'll be damned!"

"_Lance!"_

"Oh, come on, Allura…don't you think that Keith knows that?"

She wrapped her arms around her torso. "Then why would he willingly go out with her? He seemed all too happy to do it!"

"Gee, I don't know…it could have something to do with the fact that he's a twenty-two-year-old male who hasn't dated a soul in the last two years. But hey, that's just a wild guess." He shrugged his shoulders with a sarcastic expression on his face.

Allura looked hurt. "So then, he's _not_ attracted to me?"

"Of _course _he is! It's just…different." He wasn't sure quite how to explain it.

"I don't understand." She shook her head.

"Lura, sweetheart, you're not 'fling' material, but that hoochie is," he stated as though she was supposed to simply accept his answer.

"So Keith wants to have a..._fling_…with Francesca?"

"Um, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. He probably wouldn't say no if she threw herself at him…I know _I _wouldn't." He waggled his eyebrows up and down, which earned him a slap on the shoulder.

"Wow, I never realized Keith was so much like _you._"

"Oh, come on, Princess. Give the guy a break, would ya! Look, you're the type of girl that a guy falls in love with, not a one-night-standard like Miss Priss. Besides, it's not like you two have anything going on…at least, not outwardly, anyway."

"So what? I'm just supposed to sit back and be okay with it?" she spewed in disbelief.

He shook his head. "No, of course not. You could always march over and tell him exactly how you feel."

"Are you _crazy, _Lance?"

He didn't even try to hide his laughter. "Oh, how dare I opt for straightforwardness and honesty? You're right…crazy talk!"

"Why would I do that to myself, Lance? He would just push himself away from me even more than he already does."

"Of course he would," Lance agreed. "I told you, Lura, he's not ready. It has nothing to do with titles and whatnot. He feels responsible for you, Allura."

She shrugged.

"I know Keith," he insisted. "He truly believes that if he were to let you in that somehow he would fail you not only personally, but professionally as well; like his judgment would be lacking and clouded somehow. Just give him time."

She didn't buy it. "Maybe you're wrong, Lance. Maybe he just doesn't see me that way. Maybe all I am is just a job…the princess he was sent here to protect and nothing more." Bitterly, she stood up from the couch.

"You can't possibly believe that." Lance's hazel eyes widened.

She shot him a dirty look. "This isn't a fairytale, Lance! You joke and say that I'm his personal 'damsel in distress,' but that's not the case. I am _not_ the Princess who sits in the tower waiting to be rescued, and I am _not_ going to create a reality that does not exist."

"Allura…"

"No, Lance. Keith is a great friend, protector, and leader, of that I have no doubt, but he has _never _given me any indication whatsoever that there is anything more to how he sees me than just a friend and colleague. So if he wants to go off and close the deal with Princess Slut-on-a-Stick, then I have no choice but to accept it."

"You must be joking…"

"No, I'm not."

Lance could feel himself growing angry. "So then, I guess the last couple times he was on life support for you don't count," he snorted.

"Why, Lance? You wouldn't have done the same?" she challenged.

"Allura, I adore you, but no…I wouldn't. It's one thing to put my life on the line for you in battle. Would I take a bullet for you? Absolutely! But, Allura, have you ever seen the look of vengeance on Keith's face when he goes after Lotor? Honey, that's not duty, that's personal…_very_ personal."

"So, what you're saying is that if Lotor got his hands on me and Keith wasn't around, you would just let me rot." Her words sounded like a joke, but they weren't.

Lance rolled his eyes. "No, Allura. That's _not _what I'm saying. Of _course _I would rescue you, and I would die trying if I had to. But if I _do _get to you in one piece, I'm grabbing you and hauling your ass out of there, get it?" He placed a reassuring hand on the small of her back. "Do I want that bastard dead? Sure! But Keith…he and Lotor have this thing going on and you're right in the center of it, like it or not. It's why he always has me to back him up: to fend guards off while he goes after Lotor." His voice changed. "And on a lighter note, let's not forget that intimate moment I walked in on that day by the falls...hmmm?"

She looked him in the eye for a moment, then broke their gaze as she turned to walk toward the window. "You know what, Lance? I don't have time for all this - there's too much to worry about right now." She seemed resigned to her choice. "I never should have agreed to this Cotillion. There is no room in my life for emotional drama on top of everything else. Whatever will happen, will happen. If Keith and I are meant to be, we will."

Exasperated, she threw her hands up in defeat.

Lance smiled, but he didn't know how to help her. It reminded him, once again, of how much the princess had missed out on. So many of life's little nuances that they had all taken for granted - first crushes, first dates, first kisses, hanging out with friends, going to parties - those were all things that they'd had the pleasure of experiencing during their stint at the academy, but they were foreign to Allura. Here was this young woman, a Princess from a war-torn planet, risking her life for the sake of her people, and she was in love, most likely for the first time in her life. It was just her lousy luck that the guy holding the honor happened to be coined _The Noble One_, obsessed with duty, honor, and protocol; so much so that it would probably take a miracle for him to let his guard down long enough to let her in, to let her love him. No, it wouldn't be easy, even though he was just as in love with her.

_Stubborn ass is what he is, _Lance thought, shaking his head.

He looked over at the princess. She had wrapped her arms around herself and was leaning against the window. She looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

_Well, technically, I guess she does, doesn't she? _He walked over to his friend and put his hands on her shoulders, gently turning her to face him. "I think that's a great idea, Lura. Let it go for a while. Put it in fate's hands."

Allura shot him a puzzled look. "You do?"

"Absolutely! As a matter of fact, I think that for the next few days you should let it all go: meetings, paperwork, all of it," he suggested. "Give yourself some much deserved 'me' time…you know, pamper yourself a bit, get all 'girly'."

She sighed. "I don't know, Lance…"

He shook his head adamantly. "It's not up for discussion! Since Fearless is otherwise occupied, I'm responsible for your well-being, and _I _say it's pamper time! Besides," he winked, "you're gonna need a little pampering to go along with the fantastic dress I got you for this shindig."

"You actually got me a dress?" she sputtered. "I thought you were just joking!"

"Hey, a bet's a bet, and I lost. I sent Geni an email after I talked to Nanny to get your sizes. Of course, I approved the final choice and it is _spectacular_, if I do say so myself."

Allura didn't know what to say. She was so touched that he went so far out of his way for her. "Lance…thank you!" she yelped as she jumped into his arms.

He planted a kiss on the side of her head. "Anything for you, baby! Besides, I want to see the look on Princess _Slut-on-a-Stick's_ face when you walk into that party wearing this dress. Ha! She ain't got _nothing _on you! Like I said before, my chick _bad_!"

Allura giggled. "Will Nanny have a stroke?"

"Actually, she encouraged me. I guess she overheard a conversation...let's just leave it at that. She's out for blood, that woman." Lance chuckled as he remembered the look on Nanny's face.

Allura smiled. "Maybe, but if you don't get out of my room soon, it will be _your_ blood she's after."

He laughed. "Yeah, well, it _is _pretty late." He paused to look at her once more. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine…thanks to you…once again."

"That's what I'm here for, bay-beh! Anyway, If you need me, you know where to find me." He leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Lura-Lu."

"Good night, Lance."

Lance walked out her door and waited to hear it lock. "Lock that door, girl! I don't want my ass kicked!" he yelled. He could hear her giggle, followed by a click indicating that the locks had been activated.

He chuckled to himself and turned away from the door. He had just begun to walk toward the Force's North Wing when he noticed a shadow against the wall. _Great. Here we go._

"What the _hell _were you doing in the Princess' room until now, Lieutenant?" Keith barked, glaring at his second and best friend.

"Hmph, wouldn't _you_ like to know," Lance retorted.

"_Lance!" _

"Not now, Commander. I'm tired _and_ I'm off duty. Catch ya tomorrow." Lance turned away from Keith and strutted down the hall to his quarters, a sly grin stretched out from cheek to cheek.

_This is going to be __so__ much fun._


	9. Chapter 9

_Hello everyone! Back for another week...First, to give credit where credit is due- 'slut-on-a-stick' comes to you thanks to my fab editor, KathDMD...I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that addition and just HAD to keep it! Thank you to all those skimming through, reading, following, and/or favoriting 'Taken'. Bear with me...things may seem frivolous now but will get pretty intense in the next few weeks ...THANK YOU!_

_KathDMD: 'Slut-on-a-stick' will go down in history! Seven Hells is right! I so adore 'my' Allura :-) xoxo_

_Drowningblonde: You are going to love Allura's dress...my awesome editor took my description and ran with it...she sent me a pic...very hot... Lance's friendship with Allura is just as solid as Allura's love for Keith. I felt that it was so important to giver her a true friend that she could trust and always depend on...besides...her closeness with Lance will make even more sense in Part 2. Double entendre? yes...absolutely! ;-)_

_QiaWriter: Hang on! Come Chapter 11 things are going to take a turn..._

_Smithy: Lotor is one persistent #%&*&**% (insert adj here). As far as Keith...maybe he'll get it together soon..._

_cubbieberry: Get your inhaler ready around Chapter 11 luv ;-) Not only have I been blessed with a fabulous editor...I've been blessed with a fabulous Promoter as well!(that would be YOU of course!) Thank you for ALL your hard work with the KA resurgence...especially with all you have going on...you are truly an amazing human being **extending cyber hugs**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters..._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 9**_

Allura stopped short, horrified.

She had merely been following her usual routine, the same way she did any other morning - workout, physical training, shower, breakfast. The usual. What she had just witnessed with her own two eyes, however, was definitely _not _just "the usual."

She saw them together. She saw Francesca, dressed in a killer denim mini-skirt and black leather to-the-knee boots with a three-inch heel, with her arms wrapped around Keith's waist. She saw them smiling at each other, and the way she leaned into him so intimately...

She wanted to throw up.

It took everything in her to head back to her room as quickly as possible, walking as fast as her feet could take her. She didn't want to run. No, that would make it look like she was trying to get away. Which, in fact, she _was_, but he didn't need to know that.

She could hear his footsteps gaining on her as she approached her door. She heard him call out to her, but she pretended not to hear. She was still reeling from what she saw, or what she thought she saw.

_Remain calm, it doesn't bother you. You couldn't care less! _

Yet, on some level, she knew that she wouldn't be acting this way if it _didn't _bother her.

_Ugh! __Liar__! _She let out a deep exhale as she turned to face the inevitable.

As she reached her door, she felt Keith's strong hand on her shoulder. "Princess, what the heck!" he cried out, exasperated.

"What?" she snapped

"I've been calling you to stop, and you just kept on going." He placed his free hand on the wall as if to immobilize her.

"Oh, were you? Hmm, my mind must have been somewhere else." She said the words in an airhead manner to mimic Francesca's demeanor.

_Oops. _Keith cringed and bowed his head slightly, a look of embarrassment sweeping over his face. "Princess, what you think you saw…it wasn't…it didn't…" He stumbled over his words, raising his eyes sheepishly to look at her. She had taken his usual stance - arms crossed in front of her, looking beyond annoyed - which only added to his discomfort.

"Keith," she cut him off, "Like I told you yesterday, do whatever you want. I don't understand why you feel you need to explain yourself to me."

"Because I know you, and I _know _what you're thinking."

"Doubtful." She turned to open her door.

Keith squinted his eyes at her. "Come on, Princess, you know that was a set-up. Francesca knew you were coming. You had to see that she caught me off-guard."

Of course she knew it, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"What does it matter what I think, Keith? You're a free man…free to do what you wish, and _who_ you wish, during your free time. You owe me no explanations." She waved him off and turned into her room.

_Oh yeah…she's definitely spending way too much time with Lance, _he thought.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "You're my friend, Princess," he whispered. "Your opinion means a lot to me, more than you know, and I don't want you to feel as though I've betrayed you in some way." He bore his gaze into hers.

She stared back at him intently. _Damn those eyes! _

Her expression softened, and she let out a sigh. "Of course I don't think you betrayed me, Keith…that's just silly. It's not like you and I have anything going on."

He noted the mournful expression on her face as she said those words. It was fleeting, but it was there.

"Besides, this isn't the first time Francesca has pulled a stunt like this," Allura continued. "I've actually been expecting it from the moment I learned she was coming. Now, as you said earlier, you are my friend, and as my friend, I can only hope you realize that she is using you."

At those words, Keith felt his posture relax, and he actually laughed. "Princess, you didn't possibly think for one moment that I would actually be attracted to someone like _her_, did you?"

"Oh, come on Keith, you can stop the Suave Commander act," Allura challenged. "You guys all think she's hot. The lot of you almost passed out when Francesca first came off the transport."

"Are you _serious_? Princess, she was practically naked. And in case you've forgotten, I _am _a guy, you know." Keith seemed amused. "For God's sake, even Romelle almost passed out when she saw her…hell, Nanny practically had a stroke!"

"Exactly!"

"She's just not my type, period." He shrugged matter-of-factly.

"Is that so? You don't like beautiful women?"

"Beautiful? She may be beautiful to somebody like Lance, but not to me," he replied.

"You just said…"

"No, you said she was hot, and I agreed. Hot and beautiful are _not _the same thing." He smiled at Allura's expression.

She rolled her eyes "Keith, really, are we done with this? I've wasted enough of my time talking about Francesca."

Keith sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll drop it if you promise that we're fine." He pointed between the two of them.

She huffed. "Yes, Keith, we're _fine_."

"You sure?"

"_Keith!"_

"OK! OK, then, I'll see you later."

He began to walk away backwards at first, only turning when she nodded back to him in agreement. As soon as he was out of sight, she growled and marched into her room, slamming the door behind her.

_Damn you, Romelle, and your stupid party, too!_

After his conversation with Allura, Keith spent the next few days keeping everything as calm and as normal as possible. He went out of his way to give Francesca the cold shoulder, and completely wrote her off on several occasions, too. Although he still had to guard her at times, he made sure that she understood his new ground rules.

Allura found it amusing..._and_ gained plenty of satisfaction from Francesca's frustration.

On the other hand, she and her 'bodyguard' were having _way _too much fun. Lance took what he said seriously. He made sure that she had some time for herself to do 'girlie' things. He talked to Allura's maids - well, the ones that he knew a little _too _well, anyway - and arranged for her to have a few days of pampering.

He had also spoken to Coran and Nanny to make sure that they took it easy on her until the party. For that alone, the princess was eternally grateful.

At one point over the course of those few days, Keith looked on almost jealously as Lance whispered something into Allura's ear. Whatever he said, it sent her into uncontrollable fits of laughter, causing him to furrow his brows imperceptibly.

He had always been confident that his best friend and Allura were just very close friends, but lately he'd found himself reevaluating that assumption - _especially _after seeing him walk out of her room the other night. The two had been spending an awful lot of time alone together and had all sorts of private jokes between them, which was starting to get on Keith's nerves.

He was sure that she'd confided in Lance about walking in on Francesca throwing herself at him. They were probably mocking him in secret.

_Ugh! __Lance__!_ Of course, there was the minor detail that Lance was responsible for her protection while he babysat Francesca, but he still found it uncharacteristically annoying.

"Get off it, Keith. Jealousy doesn't become you." Sven had always had perfect timing and delivery. It was one of the many things Keith missed about his former second-in-command on a regular basis.

Keith threw his friend a sideways glance. "Excuse me?"

Sven nodded and pointed in the direction of Lance and Allura. "They just look like they're having fun, that's all."

"No more fun than she had with _you_," Keith pointed out, his brow raised.

"Ha!" he grinned. "True enough. Though that ship has long sailed - I am a committed man now."

Keith shook his head, amused, in quiet contemplation. "Hey Sven, do you ever wonder what might have happened if you hadn't been hurt? If you had been able to stay with the team?"

Sven closed his eyes and sighed. "Of course; it crosses my mind from time to time." He paused to look at his friend. "Princess Allura and I were getting pretty close, you know. We had quite a bit in common." He noticed the ever-so-slight cringe that briefly crossed Keith's face. He chuckled as he continued, "You would have had some serious competition for sure."

Keith looked back at him, confused. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Tell it to someone else, _polare_. I know you. I was your right arm for a long time - you can't bullshit me." He smirked. "It was written all over your face the first time you saw her, and it was obvious that she felt the same way. I would have backed off for that reason alone."

Keith glared at his friend. "I don't want to talk about this, Sven. Drop it. _Now."_

"Suit yourself, Keith…but just how long are you planning on running from the obvious?"

Keith narrowed his eyes. "What part of _drop it now _did you not understand, Sven? Or do I need to spell it out to you in Swedish?" He shrugged. "And I don't know Swedish, so that'll be a bit of a challenge for me. But I'm willing to do it."

Sven ignored him. "I know better than the others what you're thinking. I felt the same about Romelle, but then I realized that she was my reason for being. She was what kept me going, and she gave me hope." He put his hand on Keith's shoulder. "There is nothing more fulfilling than giving your soul to the woman you love, _min broder_. Nothing will ever top how I feel when I am with her…nothing. I cannot imagine my life without her."

"It's not the same, Sven. It's different for you…your situation is different," Keith responded flatly.

"_Skitsnacket!" _Sven shrieked.

Keith looked at him with a raised brow. "After all these years, haven't you figured it out that I don't understand your language? Did you miss the part two seconds ago when I told you I can't speak Swedish?" He noticed Sven's annoyed look.

He ran a hand through his hair before continuing. "What do you want from me, Sven? I can't get involved right now, there's too much at stake."

"You're already involved, whether you like it or not," Sven didn't hesitate to point out.

Keith just looked at him.

"You're willing to die for her - that's obvious to all of us - but it's more than that. You are in deep, my friend. I can see it when you hear Lotor's name."

A flash of rage crossed Keith's face.

"Yeah, _that_…it's the same reaction I have when I think of all he's done to Elle. I could kill him with my bare hands and take great pleasure in it," he continued, staring intensely at the Voltron captain. "It's disturbing, what we would do for the women we love."

Keith simply looked ahead, avoiding his friend's gaze as he ground his jaw. Over Sven's shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Allura. She'd looked so happy over the past few days, so free and normal. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the next attack, and then her features would harden once more. The thought broke his heart.

He wanted to see her smiling, full of hope and promise. He hated to see her in anguish and pain, and _especially _hated to see her cry - something she did in private and too often. She kept all of her emotions bottled up inside so that she wouldn't seem weak in their eyes, not that they would ever think that of her.

Sven knew what Romelle had suffered, but none of them had any idea what kind of torment Allura had endured at Lotor's hands. She had never offered to tell them and they had never asked. Truth be told, they were all too afraid of the answer. The mere thought made him sick.

He wanted to run to her, hold her, touch her...but would he ever? Maybe Sven was right. Maybe he needed to let her in to help keep him grounded.

_No, it's not time. _

His primary focus had to be protecting her and keeping her safe. Now he couldn't even do that because he was stuck babysitting Princess..._What did Lance call Francesca again? Princess Slut-on-a-Stick? _ He furrowed his brow once more, this time in frustration and helplessness.

"What I feel doesn't matter right now. I need to remain focused. Look at how happy she is right now, Sven. I want that for her always."

"Did you ever think that, with all of this doom and gloom surrounding her, being with you might make her happy?"

Keith snorted. "Well, right now it looks like my buddy Lance has filled that role."

Sven whacked him across the back of his head. _"Dumskalle!"_

"You know, you're _really _starting to piss me off with that, Thor!" Keith retorted angrily, returning the whack he had just received.

"Wake up, Kogane! Life is not just about protocol, honor, and war! You need her just as much as she needs you. I just hope that you realize it before you waste any more of your life."

Keith looked at his friend soberly. He was just about to lay into him when he was interrupted by an angry Romelle. She stormed towards them, throwing her arms around Sven as she approached.

"What is it, _min älskade_?" He returned her embrace and kissed the top of her head.

"Oh God, Sven! Allura was right. What the hell was I thinking? This was the dumbest idea _ever_!"

"What happened, Romelle?" Keith asked.

"Ugh! That Francesca is horrible - I just want to beat her senseless! I can't believe I was ever friends with that bitch!" she shouted.

Keith could only nod his head in agreement.

"_Ӓlskling_, tomorrow is the brunch and the party," Sven reminded her. "After that, you never have to speak to her again." He kissed her cheek.

Keith had to admit, he _was _envious of the pair. Watching the two of them, he could almost imagine being that way with someone…with Allura. _Stop it, Kogane! Don't go there!_

"Can't I just tell her to go to hell right now?" Romelle whined. "Or maybe Allura could kick her ass…she would probably love that, I'm sure." She smiled mischievously as she looked at Sven.

Both men laughed. "Elle, you know you can't do that without causing an intergalactic incident. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it," Sven reminded her.

Romelle looked at him and ran her finger across his chin. "_Actually,_ Commander, there are other things that I can think of to do in my bed…and they are _much _more pleasurable."

She grinned wickedly. Sven returned the gesture.

"OK, now I'm outta here," Keith grimaced.

Sven and Romelle laughed. "Keith, my friend, you are _way _too uptight…you need to loosen up before your life passes you by. Take a chance, my friend." Sven was obviously enjoying his friend's discomfort.

"Whatever, ABBA," Keith snickered. He opted to leave the two alone and forced himself to walk back toward Francesca and her crew.

The Polluxian princess raised her eyebrows curiously in Keith's departing direction. "So, what's _his_ problem?" she asked.

In reply, Sven tilted his head in the direction of Lance and Allura.

Romelle looked back at him, confused. "Lance? Why, what did he do now?"

Sven rolled his eyes. "_Oj,_ Romelle, it's not Lance."

"Allura, then?"

Sven looked at her as though the reason should be obvious.

"Why?"

"God, Elle…do you not see it? Have you really been that self-absorbed that you haven't noticed that your cousin is in love with him?"

Romelle's expression turned to one of genuine surprise. "She's in love? With Keith?" Her brows furrowed as she replayed the happenings of the last few months in her head, and then her eyes suddenly widened. "Well, that would explain a lot."

"No kidding," Sven mumbled.

Romelle responded by smacking his arm. She then leaned into him and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, I am _horrible_! I can't _believe _I didn't notice this before…it's so obvious, now that I think about it."

Sven wore a slight smirk on his face. "I think you need to start making amends with your cousin over your behavior the last few weeks, Elle. I know you've been going through something and I had hoped you could talk to me about it, but Allura has taken a lot of crap from you and she doesn't deserve it." He spoke the words as gently as he could, simultaneously lifting his hand to caress her cheek.

She placed her hand over his. "I know, you're a hundred percent right. I'm not sure _what _has been going on with me, Sven. All I know is that whatever phase I was going through is done…and now I'm just so pissed off at myself." She paused and shook her head. "I cannot believe I guilted her into this stupid, _stupid _thing! I swear I just want them all to leave….why the hell didn't you stop me?"

He crossed his arms. "Yeah, sure, _that's _realistic…but who cares? Let's just blame the boyfriend."

"I'm not blaming you, Sven."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Elle, I knew you were not yourself, and that you needed to go through the motions and realize it on your own. Allura knows that, too. I'm sure it would mean a lot to her to have her cousin right now. She has no female friends, Romelle…at least not here. She needs you." He kissed her temple. "Besides, I worry about the advice McClain's been giving her."

Romelle laughed. "I'll bet."

Sven looked down at her and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss, which attracted the attention of pretty much everyone in the room.

"Hey…knock it off over there! Geez, there are _children _in the room!" Lance cracked, taking a dig at Pidge.

"Go to hell, asshole!" Pidge quipped.

"_Pidge!" _Allura gasped.

The youngest team member blushed as he looked at her. "Sorry, Princess," he apologized sheepishly.

Allura turned her head and giggled.

"Aw, c'mon Lance, we all know you're just jealous because you aren't getting any," Hunk teased.

Lance sported a wicked grin on his face. "Really?" He threw his arm around Allura's shoulders. "Are you _sure _'bout that, Big Guy?"

Keith, who hadn't quite left the room, whipped his head around at the comment.

"Oh, for God's sake, Lance!" Allura pushed him, then smacked him across the head.

He laughed.

She rolled her eyes at him and exited the rec room through an entrance different from the one Keith stood at. After all, she didn't want to have to deal with _him, _too.

As she left, Lance continued to laugh while rubbing the back of his head. Once his laughter subsided, he realized that all of his friends were glaring at him.

"What?" he asked in his usual smart-assed way.

"_Where_ is she going, Lance?" Keith barked.

"Hell if I know."

Keith deepened his glare and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Oh…yeah…shit…on it!" he cried out suddenly, realizing that he was supposed to be guarding her. He mockingly saluted his friend and ran after Allura.

Keith just shook his head, closed his eyes, and sighed. _One more day…just one more day and then everything will be back to normal._


	10. Chapter 10

_Hello everyone! Chapter 10 is a short one and pretty much a lead in to Chapter 11 (which I will post on Wednesday , as usual)._

_PeacockF: Allura is one tough cookie and I enjoy showcasing that side of her; however, her strength comes from the pain she has had to endure over the years..it is her way of coping with her tortured past..._

_KathDMD: it's coming!...here's your fav Romelle chapter **wink** LOL..._

_WadeWells: Keith's relationship with Lance and Sven is a strong one indeed...three amigos for sure! As for Lance I LOVE to write him! The fact that he is as close as he is to both Keith and Allura makes the character even more fun to write...he knows them both too well!_

_AA-MamaBirdCat: Don't worry...our illustrious captain will get there..eventually. Yes! It's about time Romelle snapped out of it!_

_Smithy: I think it is safe to say that we don't like Lotor for all the expletives you mentioned ;-) sadly...I will be giving you more reason to hate him I'm afraid._

_Cubbie and Chris: LOL...they will certainly try Luv!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters in any way_

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 10**_

Allura sat in front of her mirror, physically and mentally preparing herself for the luncheon. At least the event would be more formal and traditional, much unlike the soirée Romelle had planned for the evening events. Allura cringed at the idea, and then tried to refocus her attention on getting ready.

For once, she was actually pleased with her appearance. Nanny had somehow managed to stitch together a new dress for her out of some old fabrics she had found in storage. The fact that it was not the usual pink but a soft powder blue was pleasing enough; however, the fact that it ended just above her knees instead of being a floor-length gown made it an instant favorite. The dress had a simple scoop neckline with a fitted bodice and sheer cap sleeves.

_Finally! A dress that's almost normal!_ She happily admired her reflection in the mirror once more.

Her hair was pinned up on the sides and flowed loosely down her back in a modern half-up, half-down style. As she added the finishing touches to her make-up, she heard a knock at her door.

"It's me, Al, may I come in?" Romelle called out from the hallway.

"Of course, Romelle, don't be silly!" she replied as she stood up to greet her cousin.

On opening the door, she paused to look upon Romelle. Her cousin seemed to be glowing; radiating happiness, eyes dancing.

"Romelle? What happened? Is evreything alright?" she asked her cousin, who couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face.

The Polluxian princess threw her arms around her. "Oh, Allura! I'm so sorry for making you go through all of this! I've been such an _idiot_!"

"Um, Romelle, didn't we already make peace with this yesterday?" Allura pulled back to look at Romelle, who instantly flashed yet another bright smile. She took Allura's hand and lead her to the couch so they could sit.

"Allura, something happened after I left you last night," she began.

"Ok….I'm listening…."

Romelle giggled. "When I got to my room, I expected to find Sven waiting for me…"

"Why's that?"

Romelle raised her brow.

"Oh…OH!" Allura buried her face in hands. "Never mind…continue…"

"Anyway, I looked around and couldn't find him anywhere. Out of nowhere, I heard soft music coming from the balcony in my room. When I went out to check, there he was. He looked so handsome…there were candles everywhere…and daisies…oh, my favorite, daisies…."

"That Sven, he sure is something, isn't he? You are one lucky girl, Melle!" Though she was certainly jealous, she was still excited for her cousin. After everything Romelle had been through, she deserved some happiness in life. "So, that explains why you're so giggly and smiley!"

"Well," Romelle grinned, "that and…."

"And _what_?"

Romelle began screeching like a little girl as she flung her hand toward Allura. "He _proposed_, Allura! Sven asked me to marry him and I said 'HELL YEAH, BUSTER!'"

Allura was pleasantly shocked, and so happy for Romelle, but that nagging jealous feeling only grew in intensity. Ignoring it, she threw her arms around her cousin. "Oh my God, Romelle, that's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you!"

Romelle smiled dreamily. "Thank you. Oh, I just hope I'm worthy of him."

"Oh Melle, you are most certainly worthy of him. You would have to be a damn _fool _not to know how much that man loves you." Joyful tears pricked her eyes.

"I know, Allura, and I love him too…more than anything."

"So, does that mean that your cotillion will now be transformed into an engagement party?" Allura smirked.

"Yes, yes it does." Romelle giggled. "We even called Bandor last night to tell him. He should be arriving any time now."

"Wow. I still can't believe it! Do the guys know?"

"Sven is telling Keith right now. The rest will find out when you announce it at the luncheon." She winked.

"Ha! I _knew _it! You want me to give you guys a speech! No wonder you were trying to butter me up!"

Romelle laughed. "Oh, come on Allura…you're a pro at it."

Allura rolled her eyes. "Well, that _is _true…I do give fantastic speeches for someone stuck in the middle ages."

Romelle swatted her arm, and they both laughed. But even as they laughed, Allura couldn't help but notice the sparkle in her cousin's round diamond ring, and she hated that she didn't have the same kind of love in her life.

Thanks to Nanny, the luncheon turned out to be quite an elegant affair. Allura introduced the newly-engaged couple to a congratulatory crowd. She gave a heartfelt and emotional speech in honor of the couple and welcomed Sven into her family, which made everyone teary-eyed.

After the meal and some happy conversation, Allura excused herself and made her way to the team conference room, hoping to look over some last-minute intelligence reports. Keith noticed her actions and motioned to Lance, who in turn signaled to Hunk and Pidge to meet in the hall. The group then made their way to the conference room.

They entered to find the princess huddled over the mass of paperwork coming through the information channels.

"So, are you _trying _to get me fired?" Lance huffed.

Allura looked up to find all of her teammates present, staring down at her. "Oh, give me a break," she snorted. "I'm in the _castle_, for God's sake!"

"Do I have to remind you that we are on high alert, your Highness?" Keith began to lecture.

Allura's lips thinned into a straight line. _I hate it when he calls me that. _"No, Commander, you do _not_, which is why I'm in here to begin with…in case you haven't noticed," she snarled.

Keith crossed his arms and glared at her.

"Why didn't you say something, Princess?" Hunk cried out. "We couldda helped you, ya know!"

"Hmm…that's a lot of info coming off there," Pidge observed. "Anything interesting?"

Allura furrowed her brow slightly, a concerned expression on her face. "No, nothing really jumps out…nothing unusual," she replied hesitantly.

"Well, that's good," Hunk offered.

Allura still looked skeptical.

"No, Hunk, it's actually not," Keith sighed, nervously running a hand through his hair.

Now Hunk was confused.

"It's easy, Big Guy, it's just not normal for Lotor to be quiet for this long," Lance told him bitterly. "Ol' blue-balls is up to something for sure."

"Yeah, and it's probably something huge," Pidge added.

"Well, whatever it is, we'll be ready! Don't you worry, Princess…right, Cap?" Hunk assured her as he looked over to his Commander.

Keith stood there silently, deep in thought. As Allura watched his face, her expression of concern intensified.

Lance took notice. "Hey! Earth to Fearless!" he yelled, waving a hand in front of Keith's face.

"What? Oh…I'm sorry, Hunk…yes, of course we'll be ready." He shot them all an emotionless grin.

Allura slowly stood up from behind her desk and moved until she was standing right in front of him. She could sense the turmoil in his mind. _Strange. _"Keith? What is it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Princess."

"Stop it. I know you, and I know that look. Your instincts…you're worried…what exactly are you thinking?" she pleaded for information.

Lance now joined in throwing quizzical glances at their Commander.

Keith looked distressed, as though he was trying to hide his inner turmoil. "Although I agree that whatever Lotor is planning will be huge, I don't think it will be a full-scale assault; that's just what he wants us to think," he explained begrudgingly. "He's got something much more sinister planned for sure…something way below the radar." He rubbed the area between his eyes before looking at the Princess. Once again, she looked like the pillar of strength, but he could feel the tension and concern oozing from her.

He squinted his eyes. _That was weird._ The captain momentarily shook his head. _She seems pretty calm and she's not fighting me...not yet anyway._"Princess, I'm sure that everything will be fine, but as a precaution, I want you to promise me that you will not - under _any_ circumstances - leave that ballroom without one of us."

She looked crushed. "Ugh, Keith! Really, I…."

_And...she's back. _"That wasn't a request, Allura!"

_Oh, sure…__now__ he uses my name. _Irritated, she crossed her arms in front of her. She then noticed the imperceptible expression of confusion that briefly flashed across his face. She returned the look, almost in challenge.

He closed his eyes momentarily to clear his head and continued, "Not only are you not to leave the ballroom without an escort, you will have your comm on you at all times, as well as a concealed weapon…do I make myself clear?" His defensive tone told the team that he was serious, and that he expected all of them - but especially the princess - to follow his orders.

"Hey, Kogane, don't you think you're overreacting just a tad?" Lance cracked.

Keith tossed him a deathly serious expression before turning his attention back to Allura. "Princess, do I make myself clear?" he demanded again.

_Oh, God, this isn't good. He senses something…his instincts are never wrong…_

Allura looked right at him and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Captain, I understand. I won't leave the ballroom without an escort, I'll keep my comm with me, and I'll carry my weapon," she repeated.

"_Ha! _I'd like to see you conceal a weapon in that dress I got for you!" Lance valiantly attempted to lighten up the grim mood that had overtaken the conference room.

Allura looked over at him with a mischievous grin. "You'd be surprised at just how well I can hide things, McClain," she winked.

Lance returned her grin. "Yeah, I _bet _you can."

"Watch it, Princess. He may ask to frisk you just to make sure," Hunk laughed.

"And now we're done…" Exasperated, Keith buried his face in his hand.

"_Seriously_, man! Invest in a sense of humor…it does wonders every once in a while." Lance smacked his friend on the back.

Keith replied dryly, "Yes, Lance, I can see it has worked miracles for you..."


	11. Chapter 11

_Before I begin...I think I speak for all of us when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the recent Tornadoes in the US. Smithy, I hope you and yours are alright..._

_As always, I would like to thank all those who are reading, reviewing, and/or following 'Taken'. Everyone's support has meant a great deal to me. This series is very dear to my heart so I really appreciate all of you for sticking around. Things are about to get pretty intense over the next few chapters...so...here goes...(no hate mail please!)_

_FroofyB: I love Sven and Romelle too. They have both endured a great deal, and have helped each other move forward...I think we would all like to see Keith frisk Allie ;-) It's Wednesday!_

_bluebaby1219: I know! Lance would have a much better handle on Francie for sure! No worries...Keith will love the dress *sneaky grin*_

_wadewells: Here it comes luv!_

_KathDMD: I know...I know...if I could send Sven wrapped to you in a big red bow...I would! Something tells me that some eyes are about to pop out of their sockets...just sayin' ;-)_

_AA-MamaBirdCat: Is it disturbing that my brother and I started ref to Lotor as 'Blue Balls' back in high school MANY MANY years ago? I always thought it was so fitting, I mean...really! Yeah...the dress is pretty 'Schwanky' if I do say so myself...sexy but tasteful...our girl is NOT a sleeze!_

_QiaWriter: Just wait!_

_Smithy: We'll keep praying...and hope all is well with you!...Believe me...I am a diehard KA fan...would never dream of it any other way...don't worry...whoop-ass is coming...Now, I remember seeing something about 'castration'? Stay tuned to Part 2...you may get your wish ;-)_

_JustLucky05: Welcome and thank you! Promise to do my best!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters..._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 11**_

The evening came quickly. Keith had spent the better part of the afternoon going over last-minute security details with Coran and the castle guards. Pidge checked and rechecked all of the computer systems to make sure that everything was properly functioning. Additional guards were posted in all areas of the castle as well as its surrounding grounds. The Arusian Air Force that Keith had set in place was on scheduled patrols of Arusian airspace, seeing as how the entire Voltron Force would be attending Romelle's and Sven's engagement party.

After a final check of the ballroom, Keith gave the okay for the festivities to begin; he, of course, was confined to the ballroom to babysit Francesca for one final night. One by one, the guests began to arrive as modern music pumped into the ballroom, courtesy of the DJ Romelle had hired for the event.

_Allura was right. It's like a frickin' dance club in here._ Keith felt the vibrations of the bass and flashing strobe lights pulse through his body.

Though he stayed off to the side, he was soon joined by Hunk and Pidge, followed by the guests of honor. Lance and Allura were missing, but he supposed they would be making their grand entrance soon enough.

Keith leaned into Romelle and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. "You look fantastic, your Highness," he winked. He wasn't lying; her strapless black dress, made up of draped tiers of fabric, both hugged _and _dramatically showcased all of the curves of her body.

Romelle giggled. "And you certainly look dashing, Commander. But unfortunately for the both of us, I happen to be recently engaged." She flashed her left hand and its accompanying diamond ring.

"Watch it, woman! Keep flirting with him, and I might change my mind," Sven warned her teasingly.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you try, Holgersson!" She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Keith looked over them adoringly. He was so happy for the two of them, especially after all the hell they had endured. _At least something good came out of all that pain._

The five of them stood around, occasionally engaging in conversation, until a hush fell over the crowd. Then, almost as soon as the silence began, it was replaced by whispering and discreet comments from the guests.

"What's going on?" Pidge looked nervous, almost as though he was about to draw his concealed weapon. Hunk and Keith were also on stand-by, ready to draw their guns at a moment's notice.

"Relax, boys." Romelle dismissed their nerves with a wave of her newly-ringed hand.

"Yes, it appears as though Allura has arrived." Sven could hardly keep the smile off his face.

The three Voltron Force members looked confused until they caught sight of the Princess clutching Lance's arm, descending the stairs to the entrance of the ballroom.

"What the…" Hunk's voice trailed off; he was clearly at a loss for words.

Pidge stared shamelessly, a silly grin plastered to his face.

Keith was frozen in awe. "Allura?" His question lingered in the air.

Romelle grinned proudly. "She's pretty hot, right? I bet you boys never thought you'd see her looking like _that_!"

Allura's long, muscular legs slowly descended down the stairs in the most insanely high strappy platform heels they had ever seen. Their eyes slowly followed the expanse of her legs up to the daringly short bandage dress she was wearing.

The dress, which clung to her every curve, was a shimmering swirl of various shades of blue, from turquoise to aqua to royal, with stripes of black and white for good measure. There were no sleeves and a sinfully-low scooped neckline, giving the crowd a sumptuous view of her well-toned arms and a hint at her more-than-adequate bustline. Her hair was straight yet full, and flowed around her bare shoulders with the new addition of bangs that wisped across her forehead.

Keith's dark eyes grew huge and round, and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her. _She's just breathtaking…beautiful…wow_.

Lance stood tall with a swagger of his own, knowing that they were all envious of the fact that he had the honor of escorting such a vision. Allura could sense his overconfidence; she turned to him and giggled. "_Relax_, cowboy."

"Hey…let me bask in the glory for a while, will ya?" he smiled back.

She giggled as he led her across the ballroom to join their friends, her guests admiring her the entire way. The attention actually made her feel good, giving her an air of confidence that was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. No, no, _this _confidence was sexually charged. For once, she felt desirable, and it was completely new territory for her.

As she approached her friends and teammates, she was greeted by oohs, ahhs, and compliments, all of which she graciously accepted. The only one who hadn't said much was Keith...but then again, he'd needed to excuse himself after being summoned for an escort by Francesca.

Allura rolled her eyes. _Leave it to that bitch to ruin things for me as always._

Since she was the planet's reigning monarch, and it was only proper to do so, the princess took turns dancing with all of her friends and teammates. She impressed bystanders by doing a little disco with Lance _and _a sexy tango with Sven…for old time's sake, of course.

Finally, Keith made his way back over to them. Noticing his approach, Romelle signaled to the DJ to change the music. As if they'd discussed it previously, the DJ put on a slower song.

"Subtle, Romelle. Really," Sven smirked.

Romelle winked at her fiancée, a faux-innocent expression on her face.

Surprisingly, Keith knew the song too well - it had been one of his favorites from their Academy days. He tossed Sven an amused expression, then looked down for a moment. He cleared his throat, drawing Allura's attention.

"Princess, may I?" His face held a smoldering grin as he held his hand out to her.

Allura felt chills travel up and down her spine at that expression. A smile slowly crept to her lips, and she placed her hand in his. "Why, of course, Commander. I thought you'd never ask," she replied, her voice thick with seduction.

Keith took her hand and led her to the dance floor, where he proceeded to wrap his other arm around her waist. Despite - or maybe because of - the fact that everyone was watching, he gently pulled her closer to him.

She smiled mischievously up at him. "Well, _this _is new."

"How so, my Princess?" he responded, the same mischievous look on his face.

_My Princess? Oh, lions! _"Well," she smirked, "I never thought I would ever get you to dance with me…you know…protocol and all."

"Hey now, I've danced with you before." He feigned hurt feelings.

"Yeah, a formal waltz here and there…nothing this, um, _intimate_."

With a genuine smile, he gazed at her lovingly, suddenly pleased that those daring heels she had on her feet had shifted her height closer to eye level.

"Did I tell you how incredible you look?" he murmured into her hair.

"No, Commander. As a matter of fact, you haven't."

"Well, you do. You are absolutely…enchanting." With another sensual grin, he pulled her even closer against his body.

Keith was mesmerized - enchanted, as he'd informed her - by the beauty in his arms. He simply could not tear his gaze away from her. And as she returned his gaze with just as much passion behind those azure eyes, he fell deeper and deeper under her spell.

_Oh, gods! There's that smolder again! Kiss me already! _She found herself melting into him, taking in his scent with every deep breath she took. Everything was perfect. She felt like she might faint, but somehow she managed to hold herself together.

"Enchanting, hmm?" Allura's gaze bore deeper into his soul. Her free hand slowly made its way up from its resting place on his arm to the nape of his neck, her fingers willfully tangling themselves in his thick raven hair. "Yes, I would _definitely _say that this is enchanting."

He shuddered at her touch as her busy fingers began to stroke the back of his neck. In response, he affectionately glided his hand up and down her spine, causing her to gasp with pleasure. As the song neared its end, they drew in closer and closer, and their first kiss seemed inevitable - right there, in the ballroom, in front of everyone. They were both so entranced that they had tuned out everyone and everything around them.

Lance, Sven, and Romelle had been watching the couple throughout their dance, waiting with bated breath for something to finally happen between them. They were on pins and needles as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. It was almost there!

And then, suddenly... "What the _hell_!" they cried out in unison.

"You know, Commander…I've been looking all over for you."

Keith stood frozen as he heard the voice akin to nails on a chalkboard behind him. He couldn't tear his gaze from Allura; he felt like he would never see her again if he looked away. But he had no other choice.

He shook his head to release from his daze, and as their eyes unlocked, he noticed the disappointment on Allura's face. Then, as she turned her head in the same direction as his, her eyes narrowed.

"_What?" _he barked, throwing a nasty glare at Francesca.

The Carthican princess had certainly meant to exit in style. She wore a short dress that Lance dubbed "The Naked Dress"...short, tight, and in a color that matched her skin tone. "Oh, did I interrupt?" she asked mockingly. "How awful! Anyway…I have to take some of my things to the transport, so I need you to escort me to the hangar bay."

Keith grunted at her and then turned back to Allura. "I'm so sorry, Princess."

She smiled at him, obviously disappointed. "It's OK, Keith. Besides, the sooner she gets her stuff on the transport, the sooner she'll be gone." She darted a nasty glare at Francesca.

Keith chuckled. "Amen." He leaned in closely to Allura, which caused her to giggle.

A disgusted expression crossed Francesca's face. "Really, Keith - I don't have all day, you know!" she huffed as she stomped off, leaving him no choice but to follow her.

Keith's eyes were like daggers into her back as he trudged behind her. Allura watched as he exited the ballroom. Then, with a deep sigh, she walked over to join her friends.

"That bitch has some fine timing," Lance snorted.

"I'll say," Romelle groaned in agreement.

Allura was disappointed, but even she couldn't help but chuckle at her friends' attempts to cheer her up.

"Would you ladies like a drink?" Sven offered graciously, attempting to change the subject.

"That would be great, my darling…why don't you two boys go get us something." Romelle caressed Sven's cheek in thanks. He, in turn, grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Lance scrunched up his face as though might vomit before grabbing Sven by the shoulder. "Let's go, Romeo, before I get sick!" he cracked.

The girls laughed. As they watched the two boys make their way over to the bar, Romelle linked her arm through Allura's and led her toward the veranda doors.

"Hey, where are we going?" Allura asked quickly, knowing that Keith would not like any part of them going off by themselves.

"I need some air, Al. Just a quick walk through the gardens so we can talk for a bit…_in private_."

Allura raised her brow. "And what, exactly, do we need to talk about?"

Romelle laughed. "Come _on, _Allura! I won't bite. Not hard, anyway."

Both girls talked and laughed as they made their way down the veranda stairs that led into the main castle gardens. They walked and chatted about what may or may not have happened on the dance floor, about Allura's feelings, about Romelle's engagement to Sven.

It felt good to talk to someone her age. Romelle understood her. They were so deep in conversation that they hadn't realized how far into the garden they had wandered.

"Shit, Romelle! We have to get back…if Keith finds out that I left without an escort, I'll never hear the end of it." She smacked her palm over her face.

Right then, an arrogant male voice assured her, "That won't be necessary, Allura. I will _gladly _be your escort for the evening."

On recognizing his voice, Allura cringed and Romelle went pale. _No. How the hell did he make it past the guards? It doesn't matter now. I have to keep Romelle safe._

The Blue Lion pilot placed her hands on her cousin's shoulders and began to whisper. "Romelle. I need you to stay calm. Don't move. We'll be fine. Got it?"

Romelle, who had gone stiff in horror, slowly nodded her head.

Allura reached for her comm but found it missing, and her body tensed. "Crap! My comm is gone."

A sense of dread washed over Romelle, and she began to shake violently.

"Romelle…please….stay calm…let me handle this…_trust me._"

The Polluxian princess was not convinced. "No, Allura…I can't go back there….I _can't_." Terrified, she broke into a run, but he was too fast. The Prince of Doom lunged forward, grabbing her by the hair, while Allura simultaneously reached for her weapon and aimed it at his head.

"Let her go, asshole!" she screamed, staring him down.

"No, I don't think so." He calmly pulled out a dagger and held it to Romelle's neck as she let out a whimper.

"I'll blow your head off!" Allura threatened.

"And I'll kill her before you ever get that chance."

"Allura…go…forget about me!" Romelle cried.

Lotor smirked at the Polluxian princess. "How touching. So sacrificial, aren't you, Romelle? But then again, you always _were _a submissive one, weren't you." He licked her ear perversely, and Romelle let out a meek cry.

Allura set her trigger and sharpened her aim.

"However, lucky for you, you're simply the means to get what I _really _want." He bit her neck sensuously and looked over at Allura, grinning like a wild man. He then took his dagger and traced it across Romelle's throat, drawing a few drops of scarlet blood in the process.

Tears automatically sprung from Romelle's eyes.

"No, Lotor! Stop! Please!" Allura yelled.

Lotor then drew his own laser gun from its holster. "First things first. Drop the gun, Allura, and then I'll release her."

"No, release her first, _then _I'll drop my gun."

In disagreement, Lotor pressed the blade deeper against Romelle's throat, drawing more blood.

"Fine!" Backed into a corner, Allura dropped her gun.

Lotor released Romelle from his grip, but then shot at her as she began to run towards Allura. "Not so fast, my little princess. You're not going anywhere until your cousin gives me what I want." He looked over towards Allura. "Take off your clothes, Princess. I have brought something more appropriate for you to wear."

Allura crossed her arms in front of her defiantly. "You must be joking."

In response, he shot at Romelle again, the laser grazing her arm. Romelle fell to her knees, clutching the wound in pain.

Allura was stunned that Lotor would hurt Romelle in order to get to her. Terrified, she realized that he really meant to take her this time.

"Good. I finally see some hesitation in your eyes. Maybe now you'll listen." His words came clipped and harsh. "Let's try this again, shall we? Take off your clothes and put this on." He tossed her an outfit that could better be considered a piece of fabric.

Allura looked over at Romelle, whose face was ashen with anguish. Humiliated, she removed her clothes as quickly as possible to give Lotor minimal satisfaction as she dressed.

She felt more exposed in what he gave her to wear than she would have been if standing in her undergarments. The black piece of...whatever it was...barely covered her intimate regions. She stared at him with eyes full of hatred and disgust.

"_Let. Her. Go." _demanded the Arusian princess, her d_e_sperate plea barely cut through the air.

"Not yet." He pulled a vial out from under his cloak. Throwing it at Allura, he ordered, "Drink it."

When Romelle saw the vial, her eyes widened in horror. She knew all too well what it contained. "Allura, no! Don't! Don't do it! Let him kill me! Please, _don't_!"

Lotor shot at her a third time, barely missing her as she squirmed on the ground. He then turned his murderous gaze back to Allura. "I said _drink it_."

Allura looked back at Romelle, whose eyes were full of tears, still pleading with her not to drink it. But she had to. Romelle had just gotten engaged to the man she loved, and she finally had a chance to put all of the horrors of her past behind her.

She had to do this for her cousin. She could handle Lotor and defend herself. She could hold him off long enough for Keith to come for her. He always did.

Masking her fear, she uncapped the vial and brought it to her lips, drinking its contents in one swallow. She then threw the vial to the ground in a show of disgust and glared menacingly at Lotor.

Full of confidence, he slithered his way toward Allura and began to touch her. He fondled her breasts and slid his hand up her thigh, stopping just short of her intimate region. Allura grunted and attempted her usual stance to inflict damage.

Something was wrong. Something was _very _wrong.

Her limbs began to tingle and she felt as though her legs were about to give out, yet she was fully cognizant. She looked upon Lotor's face, which held a satisfied smirk. "What did you do to me, you bastard?"

"Simple. This time, I made sure you couldn't fight me…nor will you be able to for quite some time." He paused to crouch down to Romelle's level. "Isn't that right, Romelle? You would know all about that, wouldn't you."

Romelle dropped her head and sobbed.

He stood again, and without anyone to come to her aid, he was able to do whatever he wanted with the Arusian princess. He fisted his hand into Allura's hair and violently began to kiss her, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She tried to fight back, but she was paralyzed by his potion, so she did the only thing she could - she bit down, hard enough to draw blood.

Lotor screamed in agony, and as he yanked his arm away, she spit the blood into his face. Her actions elicited his signature backhand, which caused her to fall to the ground.

"Bitch!" His voice boomed across the garden. Enraged, he kicked the downed princess in the ribs.

Noticing that he no longer held his gun, Allura looked up at Romelle. "_Run_, dammit! Go! _Go!"_

Romelle was crying so hard, she could scarcely see. She didn't want to leave Allura - she knew the fate that awaited her - but at the same time, she knew that the only chance to save her would be to go back to the castle and get help. She looked at her cousin, being shamelessly fondled by Lotor, and mouthed, "I'm Sorry."

Clutching her injured arm, she stood up and raced back to the castle.

As Romelle disappeared, Lotor picked Allura up by the hair and threw her over his shoulder. "I have a special place for you, my darling. The cabin where we first met, remember?"

"Fuck you, Lotor," she spat.

"Oh, I'm planning on it, my love. We have a lot of lost time to make up for. Only this time, I'll make sure to finish what I started." Then, placing his hands and lips all over her bare skin, he disappeared into the Arusian woods with the Princess.


	12. Chapter 12

_A warm Wednesday welcome to you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to read/follow/review 'Taken' !_

_WadeWells: I know! At least we're consistent ;-) I held off on my manicure again this week in anticipation of FYWTMH! XOXO_

_KathDMD: You are the fashionista extrodinaire of the Voltron fanfic for sure..BTW...I loved that dress just as much! Sure it looks fab on you! Shhhh...don't tell ;-)_

_AA-MamaBirdCat: We only get better with age luv ;-) Yeah...blue balls is great because it fits literally and figuratively...he definitely suffers from it where Allie is concerned..oh boy...and that darned Francesca...'push her down the stairs!' Things never end well when two ladies go walking alone in the garden LOL_

_Justlucky05: YAY! Francie's outta here! Now, get ready...our Fearless leader is about to go postal...and it will only intensify when he finally finds her. Lotor...be afraid...be very afraid..._

_Smithy: Don't worry...I'll make sure the Bast**d suffers...and continues to suffer...you can count on it!_

_Guest: I will try not to break your heart...really. I am a diehard KAer after all...Lance is going to hear it I'm afraid :-/_

_bluebaby1219: Say 'bye-bye' Francie! Good riddance! Talk about wearing out your welcome..geesh! Ah yes, our poor Lance won't get off that easily at first...the situation being what it is, they'll get over that  pretty quickly..._

_Drowningblonde: Did I happen to mention that I love roller-coasters? *clears throat* I digress...Thank you for the PM :-) Ding Dong the attention whore is gone! Lance is about to get an earful...uh oh... yes...'Taken' is the title...we'll just have to wait and see... ;-)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters. _

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 12**_

Once he'd loaded all of Francesca's things onto the transport, they returned to the ballroom, where Keith gladly ditched the Carthican princess for the rest of the evening. _I'm done with this bitch! _

His eyes began to scan the room. He spotted Lance and Sven laughing at the bar, drinks in hand. He then searched the room for Allura. Nothing. He came up empty.

His eyes searched and searched. _No Romelle, either_. He suddenly felt a horrible knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

_Something's wrong. _

Keith quickly grabbed his comm and attempted to contact Allura. Nothing. He messaged the control tower and ordered them to start running checks and reviewing footage to see if they could find anything unusual. Then, tasks accomplished, he angrily marched up to Lance and Sven, practically knocking people over in the process.

The Red Lion pilot was slightly taken aback. "Geez, Keith! Chillax, bro!"

Keith grabbed Lance by the collar. "Where the hell _is _she?" he spat the question out.

Sven pried Keith off Lance as Hunk and Pidge approached to see what was going on. "Calm down, man!" he commanded his friend.

"What the hell, Kogane?" Lance shot out, rubbing his arm. Keith's blows to his flesh were still stinging.

"Where's Allura, you ass? You're supposed to be guarding her! Remember?"

"She over there with Romelle, man!"

"No, Lance…she's not…she's _gone_! They _both _are!"

Sven froze at Keith's words. His head whipped around, and with a sinking sense of horror, he came to the realization that, indeed, the girls were both gone.

"Romelle..." he whispered in panic.

"Let's not freak out yet, did we try her comm?" Hunk suggested, trying to keep everyone calm.

By this time a crowd had gathered, including Coran - he ran to the ballroom the minute he heard that Keith had ordered a review of the footage.

"Of course I tried her comm. But she's not answering it, and I can't trace it, which means that either it's disabled or it's been shut off." He darted an enraged glare at his second. "I _trusted _you, dammit! _I _should have been here, but instead I had to babysit that pompous royal bitch! Now what, huh?"

"Keith, man, it's _not _my fault," Lance argued. "We literally just walked over to get the girls a couple of drinks. We weren't even gone that long!"

"Lance, _high alert _means you don't let her out of your sight for even a second!" Keith continued to yell.

With Lance and Keith arguing and Sven in shock, Hunk and Pidge began searching. With all the commotion, hardly anyone noticed when a shaken, blood-stained Romelle wandered into the ballroom.

"Romelle! My God!" Coran cried out, drawing attention to the wounded girl.

Sven ran to her and gathered her into his arms. He refused to take his hands off of her as he tried to determine the extent of her wounds.

Keith pushed his way through the crowd and knelt down next to them. "Romelle, are you alright?" he asked tenderly.

She nodded her head, too drained to say anything.

Keith hesitated for a moment. "Romelle, where's Allura? Do you know where she is?"

Her eyes welled up with tears. "He has her," she choked out.

Keith tightly closed his eyes, then reopened them. "Who?" he asked dryly, knowing full well the answer.

"Lotor."

Lance threw his fist at the wall, annoyed with both Lotor _and _himself, while Keith shot him a murderous glare. Quickly, he regained his Commander frame of mind. "Romelle, I'm sorry to keep questioning you, but can you tell us what happened?" he probed gently.

They cringed as Romelle quickly recounted the details.

Keith closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "OK, we don't have much time. We need to figure out where he took her. I don't think he could have gotten very far…they may still even be on Arus."

"How the hell are we gonna find her?" Lance shot out, clearly still annoyed. "He could have taken her anywhere!"

Keith narrowed his eyes at him. "We'll go to the spot Romelle just escaped from and see if there's any indication of which direction they may have gone."

"You really think he's still here on Arus, Chief?" Hunk rubbed his chin worriedly.

"I do. Don't _ask _why…I can't explain it. Luckily, she's a fighter. Hopefully she can fend him off just a bit longer until we can get to her."

Romelle was desperate for someone to listen to her. "It's too late!"

All eyes darted to her. "What do you mean, it's too late?" Lance repeated anxiously.

Romelle looked up at Keith. "She cannot fight him, he made sure of that."

Keith paused in the midst of rising to his feet. "Why? How?"

"It's the drug he gave her. It's a paralytic - he forces the ones who fight him to drink it. He used it on me when I was in his harem." She dropped her eyes, and Sven held her tighter. "It paralyzes its victims from the neck down. It's horrid - your mind is fully aware of what is happening, but you are powerless to stop it. He is in complete control, and he relishes it." She paused to look back up at Keith, and he noted the terror in her eyes. "She can't fight him, Keith. She tried before I ran and she couldn't. All she could do was bite him, and he hurt her for it. That's how I got away. She did it so she could save me." Romelle began to cry uncontrollably.

Keith grew numb. He slowly stood up and looked at Sven. "Take her to MedTec and have Dr. Gorma check her and tend to her wounds," he ordered in a whisper. He then turned on his heel and walked out onto the veranda, making his way to the gardens with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge following closely behind.

He paused and whipped around. _"No!_ Pidge…I need you and Hunk to go over every sector and bit of surveillance we have to try and figure out what the hell happened. I also need you guys here to scan coordinates and check for heat signals so we can determine where he may have brought her."

"Sure, Chief…you got it," Hunk replied. Saluting, he and Pidge turned and headed to the control room.

"Keith, what about me?" Lance asked hesitantly.

The team captain turned to face him. "The usual, Lance," he informed his second, unflinching. "You'll run interference so I can kill the bastard once and for all. This time, you will _not_ hold me back. This ends _now_! Understood?"

Lance stared back at his best friend and nodded. He wanted Lotor dead, too. _Done_. "Understood. He's all yours."

Keith returned the nod, and together they headed out to the spot where Romelle and Allura encountered Lotor. It was only a start, but they were bound and determined to find the direction in which the Doom prince may have taken his hostage.

XXXXXXXXXX

Since she couldn't fight back physically, Allura tried to fight him mentally. Her insults and commentaries ignited rage in him, to which he retaliated by beating her. She preferred that to the alternative. Either way, she felt nothing.

The last blow he'd landed to her head had rendered her unconscious, so once she came to, she had no idea how much time had passed. But she _was _sure that he had done unspeakable things to her unconscious body while he had the opportunity.

_I can't think about it. If I start crying, I'll never stop._

She almost wished that he would knock her unconscious again, but he had caught on to her scheme. He became immune to her words and insults, finding great pleasure in touching and fondling every inch of her nearly-naked body as she lay helpless on the grungy old bed.

He had not taken her yet, though - she knew that for sure. He'd informed her in no uncertain terms that he would have his way with her while the drug was still in her system, but would take her only when she was able to feel more. He wanted to be sure that she was keenly aware of every inch of his body when he violently took her.

The situation was worse than she had ever expected or prepared for. Broken, she did the only thing she could to get her mind off what was happening: she retreated back to a happier moment.

She brought herself back to the ballroom and onto the dance floor, to the moment that she realized that Keith was, in fact, in love her. She envisioned herself pressed close to his body, feeling him beneath her fingertips, seeing the love, want and need in his eyes; it was the same want and need she felt for him. She thought of how tenderly he'd held her and caressed her, how sweet his breath had felt against her lips, how magical it would have been had they actually kissed. She closed her eyes and pictured him as he called her 'my princess'.

_His princess. I am __his__ princess._

Would he want her now, or would he be disgusted after finding out what Lotor had done to her?

She knew better. Keith Kogane was not a shallow man. He would love her even more because of it…or despite it, as the case may be. He might even put the blame on himself.

_Keith. My Keith. Find me. Please find me._ She squeezed her eyes shut once more, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Her limbs began to tingle, and with horror in her belly, she realized that her time was now running out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Keith and Lance found the spot where Allura had been abducted. It was hard to miss, seeing as how her dress and accompanying undergarments were piled on the ground. There were also the obvious signs of laser fire - _That must be where Romelle was standing _- and struggle, as well as some disturbed foliage that seemed to create a makeshift path into the northern woods.

Keith stared blankly at Allura's clothes on the ground, and his stomach began to churn. His breathing became labored as the anger and despair slowly built in his gut.

Lance was no better. "Keith. We'll find her," he assured his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Keith glared at him with angry eyes. "Don't you see? We're already too late. Who the fuck knows what he's done to her already?" Hysterically, he knelt down beside her clothes. "She's defenseless against him." He picked up her dress and held it close to his heart as he whispered, "I failed her."

"You did _not _fail her, Kogane."

"Yes I did. I promised her, Lance. I _promised _her that I would never let him hurt her, and now he has, all because I had to follow that stupid ungrateful bitch around."

Lance had had enough. "You know what, Keith? You're really full of yourself, you know that? Mr. All-Powerful-Guardian, thinking you're the only one who can protect her. When are you going to realize that she can take care of herself? She doesn't need any of us. You put all this pressure on yourself for her safety and you still haven't realized that you…_we_...don't save her, we just facilitate her escape. She has always fought and saved herself!"

Keith threw him a look.

"_Don't_ look at me like that! You know I'm right. If she'd been alone out here with him, she would have handled it just fine - probably would've done some damage too, if I know my girl - but she wasn't, she was with Romelle. The only reason he was able to abduct her was because he used Romelle. If she had just stayed put like Allura told her to, you know damn well she could have handled this herself."

Keith slowly stood up and stared down his friend. "You done?" he snarled.

Lance nodded.

"I have no doubt as to Princess's capabilities. I trained her, remember?" he hissed. "It's because Lotor uses hostages to bait her that I wanted one of us with her at all times. I had a feeling that he would use one of the other royals to draw her out. But I never thought it would be Romelle, seeing as how she's attached to Sven at the hip."

Lance looked at him uneasily.

"_When_ are you going to learn to trust my instincts, McClain? Every decision I make, I make for reason! When have I ever insisted that she be escorted without reason? I _knew _this would happen!"

"Well, you should have clued the rest of us in on your little suspicion…it would've been helpful. I just thought you were being your usual type-A self!" Lance spat.

Keith got in his face. "I don't _have _to give you an explanation at all. I'm in command, remember?"

Lance gritted his teeth. "This is _stupid_! What are we doing here, Keith? We're fighting for..._what_? We need to find her. We can continue our ego battle later."

Keith's face relaxed as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was back in full-on commander mode. "You're right…I'll deal with _you_ later."

He raised a brow at his friend. Lance rolled his eyes in response.

Keith activated his comm. "Is anyone around Romelle?"

"Yeah Chief, we're all here," Hunk answered.

"Romelle, think hard. Do you remember hearing Lotor say anything that may give us a clue as to where he has taken her?"

Romelle furrowed her brow in thought, trying to remember. "As I was running away, I heard him say something about where they first met," she offered.

They were all confused. Keith looked at Lance in question. "The observation deck?"

Lance shook his head incredulously. "No way he took her there…he's not _that _ballsy…"

Back at the Castle, Coran stood frozen, lowering his gaze to the floor as he listened. _Not again. _


	13. Chapter 13

_Lucky number thirteen...welcome back everyone! Thank you all for continuing to follow/read! The words of encouragement and support are inspiring! THANK YOU ALL! Only two more chapters to go..._

_AA-MamaBirdCat: The blame game...lots of emotions spilling out for sure. No worries...Lotor will get what's coming to him...in regard to castration...may all get your wish in Part 2..._

_Drowningblonde: Yes...there are other ways of getting under Lotor's skin...and she knows how to do it. There is a reason he took her to that place...it will nort be disclosed in detail until Part 2...thank you for your PMs...enjoyed the discussion into the inner workings of these amazing characters._

_JustLuck05: Thank you so much for the encouragement! I hope I continue to entertain you..all of you! Yeah...Allie's got things figured out...for the most part. We're all waiting on the illustrious commander..._

_KathDMD: I think Lance is the best friend we all wish we had. I love to write him just as much as I love writing KA. WEAR IT! I want pics!_

_WadeWells" No worries! NO WAY I could ever come close to dethroning you...I believe that I just named you 'Queen of the Cliffhangers'...although there will be many coming up...willing to make a deal for part 2...just sayin' ;-) (my manicurist loves you...she waits for me every Wednesday LOL..opted for no-chip this time!) Not the end of 'scary Lotor'...here it comes..._

_Guest: Glad you are enjoying! Thank you!_

_Smithy: He will get his...no worries._

_DragonLadyRelena: Thank you for your review(your sister too) Hope I don't disappoint and you continue to enjoy! (Eventually, Keith and Allura will team up for a good fight...but that comes much later in series ) Only a couple more chapters left in'Taken' but will begin posting Part 2 right away. Will do my best to keep you all coming back!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters_

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 13**_

_...The observation deck?_

"Yeah, but that's where he first met her," Pidge insisted.

"No, it isn't," the advisor corrected him.

All eyes darted to him as Keith's voice came over the comm. "What the _hell _do you mean, Coran?"

"Commander, I don't have time to explain, and it is not my place to. The bottom line is, I know where Lotor took her."

At that moment, Keith could care less. "Coordinates, Coran…_now_!" he yelled through the comm.

"There is an old compound in the northern woods due west of the Carpathian forest. Zarkon had used it as a base when the war began. We never destroyed it, as it was where he assassinated the Queen. I am sure that is where he has taken her."

"We're going. Hunk, make your way out here and join us. The rest of you, remain on stand-by in case we need back-up. Lance or I will advise further once we reach the compound. Kogane out."

Flicking off his comm, Keith ran a nervous hand through his hair, then looked over at Lance. "You ready?"

Lance smirked. "Hell yeah…let's go rescue a Princess."

"Don't you mean 'facilitate her escape'?"

"Whatever, dude…let's just _go_!"

XXXXXXXXXX

_I've got to stay still. I cannot move. Oh god…the pain!_.

Allura somehow convinced her body to remain still as the effects of the potion began to wear off. Once her mobility returned, the excruciating pain from the beatings she took - as well as the sexual atrocities - began to take root. She knew that she needed to remain still so that Lotor would think that the paralytic was still in effect, but how could she? How could she remain motionless throughout the pain she was experiencing?

She tried to remind herself that the alternative would be far worse. If Lotor discovered that she had regained feeling, he would take her, and he most certainly would not be gentle. No, he would make sure of that.

Then, just as quickly as he left, he was back. _Oh gods. _Unlike before, she would now feel everything he did to her. She avoided his gaze and tried to focus on the ceiling.

_Count the tiles, that's it. No, recite the Arusian constitution…in Arusian…yeah…that should keep me focused enough. Don't think…just don't think..._

She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She wanted to scream in horror, but to what avail? If she tried to fight him, or even fleetingly show her pain, it would only encourage him. _I want to die…just let me die…please. _She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for it all to end.

There was a knock at the door.

"_What!?"_ Lotor screeched, annoyed.

"Sire, I am sorry to disturb you," a soldier answered from behind the door, "but his Majesty has requested for you to contact him immediately. We are unable to stall him any longer."

"Fine! Give me a moment and I'll be there," he barked. He then looked down at Allura with a terrifying smirk on his face. "It appears as though you have a slight break, my dear. I can only hope that you will be ready for me by the time I return." Not caring about the soldier or his father waiting for him, he ran his tongue down the side of her face and neck, trailing down to her breast, where he bit down violently.

"My parting gift," he taunted, gazing proudly at the red welts on her creamy skin. "Just so you remember me while I'm gone."

It took all she had not to scream out from the pain. _Oh, I'll be ready, you sick son of a bitch…you can be sure of that. _Her azure eyes were filled with hatred as she glared at his retreating form.

The door slammed shut behind him, and when she heard it lock, she let out a deep but quiet sob. She had to let it all out before he returned. She needed to prepare herself, to work through her pain and fight him as best she could. However, it was not until she tried to sit up that she realized just how badly injured she was.

Despite her pain and injuries, she forced herself to move around the room, looking for anything that she could use as a weapon.

Then she saw it.

_Ah, yes…that will do just fine. _An evil grin lit up her face as she dressed her naked, beaten body with the miserable excuse for a nightgown that he'd forced her to wear. _Seriously, I might as well stay naked._

She then got into position and waited.

XXXXXXXXXX

Keith and Lance found the compound that Coran had described, and moments later, they were joined by Hunk. Keith scanned the area to see what they were up against. The compound was guarded, but it was nothing that they couldn't easily handle. This was Arus, not Doom, after all. Lotor would not be able to replenish his soldiers after they were taken out, and that was a major advantage for them.

The Voltron commander motioned for his teammates to stay low and follow him. Carefully, they made their way over to the east wall of the compound, slowly inching toward a side entrance. Luckily for them, only two guards were stationed at the door, and Keith was easily able to take them both out.

Lance and Hunk confiscated their weapons. "Hey, you can never have too much fire power," the Red Lion pilot pointed out in his smart-assed way.

"Yeah, we all know how gun-happy you are, McClain," Hunk ribbed him.

"Would you guys shut the hell up?" Keith was in no mood for jokes as they made their way inside, ducking around corners to avoid detection.

That was when Keith saw him, and the blood rushed to his head.

Lance grabbed his friend from behind. "Easy there, Rambo!"

"What did I tell you, Lance?"

"Keith, I have no intention of getting in your way," Lance reminded him. "_Focus,_ Fearless One…we need to follow him so we can find Allura."

_He's right. Dammit! What the hell is wrong with me? I know better. I'm the logical one, I'm the calm one…focus, Kogane…focus. First you find Allura…__then__ you kill the bastard!_

Keith looked at Lance and nodded in understanding. Then, once he caught his breath, he led the way as they followed Lotor down the corridor, pausing for a moment as he entered some kind of communications room. From their hiding place, they could hear Zarkon's furious voice.

"Lotor, why are you still on Arus? You told me that you had the Princess!" Zarkon spat.

"I _do _have her, Father. We are at the old compound."

"_What?_ Have you lost your mind completely? You throw her on a ship and get back here this instant, before you screw it up yet again!"

"I'm not done with her yet. Allura and I have some unfinished business to take care of," Lotor informed his father with a sadistic grin on his face.

It took all of Keith's self-control to keep from attacking his enemy. He stood back silently, remained focused, and angrily clenched his jaw.

"Would you stop thinking with your dick and start using your other head for once in your worthless life? Damn it, Lotor! Bring her back here _now_, while we still have the upper hand...you can have your way with her all you like here! The longer you stay on Arus, the greater the chance that they'll come for her!"

"Nonsense!" Lotor argued. "No one on Arus - aside from Allura - knows about this place, and those who do know are _dead_!"

"You imbecile! Her _advisor _is still alive…so gather her and your troops together, and leave that worthless planet now!"

"Not until I get what _I _want - what I should have taken _then_!"

Zarkon shook his head in disgust. "I'm warning you, Lotor," he seethed. "Don't expect a warm welcome when you arrive with your tail between your legs..._again_." Abruptly, the king disconnected the link.

"Old fool!" Lotor barked to the blank screen. Enraged, he threw his comm link at it and turned to stomp out of the room. Keith, Lance, and Hunk ducked into a corridor as Lotor stormed out.

Once he was a safe distance away, the three pilots began to follow him. They came to a stop as Lotor approached a guarded door. There was no mistaking what precious treasure the prince of Korrinoth had secured in that room

Keith turned to his teammates. "This is it, guys. You know the drill."

"Do we _ever_," Hunk agreed.

The three positioned themselves, then waited for their moment to strike. They watched as Lotor turned to speak to the guards, then threw a look down the hall. Once he felt that the coast was clear, he unlocked the door and stepped into the room.

Immediately, Lotor noticed that the bed was empty, causing an evil grin to crop up on his face. "Well, well, my little Princess, I see the paralytic has worn off. You know what _that _means."

He scanned the room for her, growing irritated when he couldn't find her. "Oh, come now, Allura. Do you really think you can hide from me forever? There's no way out. I will get my hands on you again, and this time I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream."

His anger began to build and crest as he circled the room. _"Allura! _Show yourself willingly and I may go easy on you. If not, the past hour is going to seem like a picnic compared to what I'm going to do to you next!" He paused to gather his breath as he continued to search the room. "I said show yourself…NOW!"

"_Gladly."_ She jumped seemingly out of nowhere and whacked him over the head with the bedpost.

Lotor screamed in pain and lunged for her. "I'll make you pay for that, you bitch!"

Using the bedpost like a baseball bat, she swung at him again. "You'll have to catch me first, asshole!"

She lacked strength and stamina, knowing full well just how weak she really was. But she had to at least try to knock him unconscious in order to have a legitimate chance of getting away. However, swinging the bedpost in her condition was not an easy task, and it was taking a lot out of her.

It didn't matter. She continued to swing at Lotor every time he came at her, hitting him on his side at one point. When she did, he briefly fell over in agony, and she used the opportunity to run for the door.

He lunged at her again, and this time, he didn't miss. She let out a bloodcurdling scream as he grabbed her by her arms and violently slammed her back into the wall.

Keith heard it. They _all _heard it. _"Now!"_ he cried out, ramming into the guards head-on and taking them both out.

He could hear Lotor taunting the princess through the door. _Just shoot it down, Kogane! _Then, looking down, he noted the ring of keys on the unconscious guard's belt. _Yeah…those'll work, too._ He bent down to grab the keys and unlock the door.

Inside the room, Lotor repeatedly slammed Allura against the wall. "You're going to learn your place, Allura! You think you can play these games with me? I tried to be nice, but now you've pissed me off!"

She said nothing in response, and her lack of reply further torched the prince's ire. He paused mid-rant to slam her against the wall again. Her head rattled, and she was so disoriented that she barely noticed as he began to rub himself into her. Leaning against her ear, he threatened in a low, dangerous voice, "I'm going to take you right here, right now."

He touched her body roughly, yanking at the material as he did. "You will _beg_ me for mercy, _beg_ me to stop; but the more you beg, the harder I'll fuck you, my sweet, _sweet_ Allura. When I'm done with you, no other man will ever want you…you'll be _mine_, and mine alone."

He began to bite and suck on her neck, and Allura stifled a whimper of pain. As desperately as she tried, she just didn't have the physical strength to fight him anymore. She trembled, holding back her tears while his hands roamed hungrily across her body.

Then he stopped suddenly, sounding as though he was struggling to breathe. The princess dared to look at him and noticed something wrapped around his neck.

Then she heard _his_ voice.

"You sick bastard! Did you really think that I would let you have her? I am going to _KILL _you!" Keith raged as he pulled against the rope around Lotor's neck. Gripping tightly, he swung the prince around and slammed him against the floor.

Not wanting to give Lotor the chance to recover, he rushed over and began to kick him in the ribs. "Get the _fuck _up!"

Allura couldn't believe her eyes. _He's here...he found me...__they__ found me!_ Relieved, she finally succumbed to the pain. Sliding down the wall, she collapsed in a heap onto the floor, curling up into the fetal position.

Lotor slowly stood up, grabbing at his neck. "You pathetic fool. Do you honestly think that I'm going to leave here without her?" he snarled. He lunged at Keith, wrapping his arms around his waist, which sent them both crashing to the ground.

Keith shifted his weight and broke loose from Lotor's hold, kicking him in the face. He flipped and was back on his feet in an instant. Lotor tried to get up, but Keith kicked him again. The Voltron commander then grabbed him by the shirt and threw him against the wall, just as he had done to Allura.

There, he proceeded to pound on the prince repeatedly. The calm commander disappeared as pure rage took over. All Keith could see was Allura, her battered body full of deep red marks and bruising from being beaten..._and God knows what else_. He saw bite marks, claw marks, _hickies_. Then he imagined Lotor running his hands all over her naked body, kissing her, touching her - _his _princess, _his _Allura - as she wept, too weak to fight.

The blinding rage gave him strength that he didn't even realize he had as beat the Dark Prince senseless. He was sure that Lotor was unconscious by now, but he couldn't stop himself. He continued to pound on him, even as he lay motionless on the floor.

He stopped only when he heard her voice.

"Keith! Keith, please! Stop - just _stop_!" she whimpered. "Please, just take me home. I want to go _home_."

It was then that he looked over and saw her in a heap on the floor, battered and broken. He glared at the beaten Drule underneath his feet and quickly looked at his hands; they were covered in Lotor's blood. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to control himself.

Once he'd gotten ahold of himself, he got up, ran to Allura, and dropped to his knees in front of her half-naked body. He took off his uniform jacket to cover as much of her exposed flesh as possible, attempting to ward off further embarrassment. Keith scooped her up into his arms and made his way to the door.

Lance and Hunk were still fending off whatever few guards were left. Lance felt, rather than saw, Keith's approach. Without looking over, he called out, "You got her, man?'

"Yes," he breathed, his voice heavy with sorrow. "I do."

Lance could tell by the tone in his friend's voice that Allura was in bad shape, and he couldn't bear to look. "Then get her to the transport, man. Hunk and I will cover you and meet you there when we finish off these last few guards."

Keith nodded in agreement. "I'll wait for you two there."

Hunk backhanded a guard unconscious. "Hey Cap…what about Lotor?" he asked, too afraid to look back.

"He may or may not be dead…I didn't bother to check. He can bleed out for all I care," Keith spat out angrily as he headed to the transport with Allura.

Lance and Hunk cringed as they caught a glimpse of Allura's bruised body. They looked at each other knowingly as they finished off the last few guards. Once all was clear, the two went to check on Lotor.

Lance gasped in horror at the Drule prince's body lying in a pool of blood. "Damn! He wasn't kidding!" He bent over to check for a pulse.

"He alive?" Hunk asked.

Lance stood up and looked at him. "Barely. His pulse is pretty weak, but he still has one."

"He won't have one for long if we don't get him back," Hunk noted.

Lance tossed a dirty look at him. "You want to _save _him? _Why? _Did you not see what he did to her?"

"Dude, he can rot for all I care, but I'm not the one who did this to him," Hunk answered matter-of-factly. "You know Keith. I don't care _how _much he hates Lotor - do you really think he can live with the fact that he actually killed someone - with his bare hands, no less - out of simple rage?"

Lance rubbed the back of his head, then furrowed his brow. "No. No, he wouldn't. He's the Noble One for a reason..._fuck! _Alright, so how the hell do we get him out of here?"

"We'll radio the Castle to send another transport. We can wait here until they come. Just let Keith know over the comm."

"Good call, Big Guy!" Lance pulled his comm out to contact Keith.

But before he got the chance, they were blinded by a flash of light. When it cleared, Lotor was gone.

"_Haggar!"_ they cried out in unison.

Hunk scratched his head. "So, uh, you gonna tell him?"

Lance grimaced and then slapped Hunk on the back. "Let's get back to the transport and take Lura-Lu home. I'll break the news to Keith later."


	14. Chapter 14

_I know I say this every week but, please, know that I mean it. I am so grateful to all those who are reading/following/reviewing "Taken". The continuing support gives me the drive to keep writing. Thank you all..._

_Cubbie and Chris: yes Luv you can breathe...for now ;-)_

_DragonLadyRelena: Keith's character and personality being what it is...he may have been able to move on but-he would not be able to forgive himself...killing him in such a manner would haunt him...besides...I can't kill off the main villain in Season One! There is still too much chaos to be had in 'Seasons' two and three!_

_DreamtimeDancer: no...Thank You for all your inspiration over the years! I am elated that you are reading and hope you continue to enjoy!_

_JustLucky05: Exactly! It's not so much that he would have killed him...it's the manner it would have happened: not in defense but in pure rage. Allie is a big time fighter in this series...expect to see a lot more whoop-ass from her...it will make more sense later...Thank you!_

_WadeWells: Things settle down a bit now but, as always, another storm will come...XOXO_

_KathDMD: Ummm...waiting for pics! I do not like a 'stupid Lotor', as you know...He needs to be the embodiment of pure evil mixed with perverted love...just wait girle...you ain't seen nothin' yet! LOL_

_Smithy: I knew you would enjoy the intense butt-kicking...there is a special chapter for you in part 2...I'll let you know when it's coming..._

_feli3: Way too soon in the series to kill him...needs to cause a bit more trouble for our fav couple first...you know how that goes :-)_

_ebon-drake: It's so true...I recently started watching GoLion and love it...I must say...the dialogue is more adult themed of course...seeing as though I do not like a 'dumb-ed down' Lotor...his personality in GoLion makes more sense to me...as does the love-hate relationship Zarkon has with him. I enjoy writing dialogue and showing the interaction between all of them...Thank you! (there is a Part 2... :-) )_

_Limetwist: Maybe...just sayin ;-) Allura's past, in this series, has made her one tough cookie...eventually, all the suppressed anger will get to her...and then what? Let's just say...it will not be pretty...Sleep well for now! Things will settle for the time being :-)_

_DrowningBlonde: You and I have 'talked' about this so you know where I stand on Lotor ;-) Just wait..._

_FroofyB: In all honesty...if this were a 'One Shot" or "Stand-alone" fic...I would have probably made it much uglier and final however...can't do that so early in the game! As you mentioned...what good is a series without comedy, angst, and the occasional appearance by 'evil-bastard'? Always remember this...I AM a die-hard KAer...just sayin ;-)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters._

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 14**_

Keith carefully entered the transport with Allura in his arms. He walked to the far end and sat down with her on his lap, noting how she clung to him for dear life. As soon as she felt safe, she buried her face into his chest and sobbed. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close to him as he could.

He looked around the transport and noticed a blanket in one of the cubbies. Reaching for it, he gently wrapped it around the princess as he planted kisses in her hair and rubbed her back.

"It's OK, Princess, I have you. You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore. I'm so sorry, Allura. I'm so, _so _sorry." His voice was raw with emotion, and a tear escaped him and slowly rolled down his cheek.

_What did he do to you, Love? My God, what in hell did he do? _He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

The captain blamed himself. _I should have insisted. I should have told Coran to kiss off. _

The princess continued to sob in his arms, pulling at his shirt so that she could bury herself into him. He had never seen her like this before - she was so vulnerable. It killed him. He hated when she cried as it was, but this? Well, this was causing his heart to shatter into a million pieces.

How could this have happened? On Arus? Under their watch? Would he ever be able to forgive himself? Would she ever forgive him? Right now, he just wanted to get her back to the castle and straight to Dr. Gorma.

_Where the hell are they? _

Just then, Hunk and Lance entered the transport. The Red Lion pilot looked over at Keith and sighed, "Don't ask."

Lance jumped into the driver's seat next to Hunk and sped off.

Keith held onto Allura tightly as she continued to sob. When she finally stopped crying, he kissed her forehead. "We're going home, Love. Everything will be fine. I promise you, everything will be fine."

Allura curled into him as her body slowly relaxed in his arms. _Love…he called me __Love__. _

Happy with that thought, she fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was such a short ride to the castle that Keith hated to wake her up. Asleep in his arms, she looked so peaceful, and he knew that as soon as she woke up, the world of pain would come crashing back.

"Princess, wake up," he whispered. "We're at the castle."

At his words, Allura slowly opened her eyes. Instantly, she groaned, holding back tears from the pain she was in. She looked up at Keith, terrified. "Keith, no…take me through the back…please!"

"Princess, they're all waiting for you in control…Coran, Nanny, Gorma…"

"I don't care! Please, Keith, I don't want anyone to see…please….not even the boys," she pleaded as she motioned towards Hunk and Lance.

Keith looked in their direction as they were disembarking from the transport. He took a deep breath before looking back at Allura. "Of course. Just give me a moment to talk to them, and then I'll take you through the side entrance near MedTec. Does that sound alright?"

Allura nodded, her eyes shining.

He carefully placed her on the seat next to him, then stood up and made his way toward the guys. He glanced back at her momentarily. Once again, he saw the bite marks, the bruises, and the raw skin that now enveloped his Princess, covered only by his jacket.

_She's right…nobody needs to see her like this. _

As tactfully as he could, Keith explained the situation to Hunk and Lance. Sadly, they nodded in understanding, and agreed to stall everyone long enough for Keith to sneak Allura into a room in MedTec. He would then give the agreed-upon signal so they could give the 'all clear' for Gorma and the others to head down.

As he reentered the transport, he noticed Allura holding the blanket around her as tightly as she could. She looked so lost; the pain she was in more than evident on her face.

"Hey, are you alright?" He knew what a stupid question it was, and immediately furrowed his brow.

Although she was in bad shape, Allura was able to find some amusement in his discomfort. "I will be, Keith. You can be sure of that." Her voice was hoarse from her ordeal.

Keith gazed at her for a moment. "I have no doubt, Princess. None." He smiled sweetly. "So, are you ready, or do you need some more time?"

"No…no…I'm ready."

Keith pulled her into his arms once more. Allura leaned her head against his chest as he carried her to the side entrance of the castle. Once inside MedTec, he found the main room and took her in, gently laying her down on the bed.

"Keith, I need a favor...well, a couple of them, actually," she shot out suddenly.

He smiled - he would lay the universe at her feet if she asked. "Of course, Princess, what do you need?"

"Well, first…could you please go to my room and me some clothes? I need the ones I work out in…they're in my bottom right-hand dresser drawer. They're all I have that will cover up as much of this as possible." She cringed as she moved her hand across her body from shoulder to shoulder.

He winced before he could answer. "Of course, no problem…I'll get them and have one of the nurses bring them in to you right away."

She smiled briefly, but then her face grew serious. "Keith, the next favor I have to ask is that you keep whatever you may have seen between us. Please. No one else needs to know. It's hard enough for me that _you_ saw what you saw…and besides, I don't need anyone's pity."

Her words concerned him. "Princess, no one would ever think that way…you know how much we all care about you…"

"Keith…please, keep it between us."

He closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he sat next to her on the bed and took her hand in his. The captain then channeled all of his inner strength to bring himself to ask the dreaded question. "Allura, what…what did he do to you?"

She stared at him with anger in her eyes - anger that he knew was not directed at him. "You _saw _what he did to me."

"Allura, I didn't mean it like that...I just want -"

"_No_, Keith," she cut him off. "I'm not going to tell you. Not now, not ever."

Keith looked at her sympathetically.

"So, are you going to keep this between us or not?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "Of _course _I will. But when you're ready, I'd like for you to talk to someone about what happened."

Allura rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Keith, I -"

He held a hand up to cut her off. "Just think about it! Talk to Romelle. Talk to anyone, I don't care who. Just talk to _someone_. Don't keep it all in, Princess...please. Promise me you'll keep that in mind."

"Fine. I'll think about it," she huffed in reply.

Keith nodded, then stood up to give Lance the all-clear signal. He fetched a nurse to sit with Allura until the cavalry arrived. As he prepared to leave, he took her hand once more, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm going to grab your things before everyone gets here. I'll be right outside. If you need me, I'll be right here, OK?"

She squeezed his hand in return and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Keith. For everything."

"Anything for you, Princess." He winked as he gently released her hand to exit the room.

Once he was gone, Allura's smile faded, and the reality of what had happened finally came crashing down on her.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Keith made his way towards her quarters, the night's events kept flashing through his mind. He couldn't shake the images of what he'd seen when he entered that room. The more he thought about it, the more enraged he became. He couldn't stop blaming himself, that somehow it was his fault - he had allowed it to happen.

As he entered her room, his mind began to race. _Will she recover from this? Will she still be the same Allura? Did it break her somehow? Will she hesitate or be afraid in battle? Will she blame me? My God…did he…? _

He swallowed hard as he tried to fight the emotions that raced through both his head and his heart. He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself. Rummaging around in her dresser, he found the items she'd requested, and headed back to MedTec. All the while, he attempted to ignore the fact that he was inflicting mental torture upon himself.

He could deal with his end later. He had to take care of Allura first.

He managed to return right before the crowd arrived, and handed Allura's clothing over to the nurse. She quickly took them into the room to help dress her.

Gorma was running at full speed. "Commander…where is she?" he cried out.

"She's in the usual room, with Nurse Sendrah." As Dr. Gorma raced to Allura's room, Keith turned to face everyone else. "Coran, Nanny, I'm sorry it took so long, but the Princess did not want to be brought in through control."

Coran looked at Keith wearily. He seemed to have aged ten years in the span of a few hours. "There's no need to explain, Captain. I understand completely."

Nanny, on the other hand, was not quite as understanding as Coran; she grabbed Keith's shirt hysterically. "Tell me! What did he do to my baby? Is she alright? Did he…did he…oh Lord in heaven!"

Keith grabbed her arms and pulled her back. "Nanny, I'm sorry, but I don't have answers for you. She _appears _to be fine, but that's all I know." He lowered his gaze.

"You're lying to me, Captain! Those two said you were there! They said you brought her out! You must know _something_!" She looked ready to tear her hair out.

Keith immediately darted an angry glance at Lance and Hunk, who turned their own gazes up towards the ceiling.

"_Nanny!" _Romelle took the woman's arm and dragged her away. "Stop badgering him, for God's sake!" Attempting to help the captain only earned her a dirty look from the nursemaid.

Keith suddenly snapped. "Nanny, with all due respect, I was a bit preoccupied with rescuing her to notice any details."

Romelle approached him and placed a hand on his arm. "But is she, Keith? Is she OK?"

"I'm not sure, Romelle. I'll leave that up to you." He looked at her almost pleadingly.

She nodded in understanding.

XXXXXXXXXX

After some time, Dr. Gorma walked out of Allura's room, looking utterly distraught and emotionally spent. Coran feared the worst. "Oh, God," he murmured, "what is it?"

Dr. Gorma shook his head. He looked up at Keith first, and then met everyone else's gaze. His voice was hoarse. "I'm sorry. Per her Highness's request, I am unable to discuss anything specific with any of you, just general information." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Most of the injuries are external and superficial. She has a few cracked ribs as well as some sprains, all which I anticipate will heal quickly. A few injuries may take longer to heal; however, they are not serious."

Nanny pushed her way past Allura's loved ones and grabbed the doctor's white coat. "I don't care _what _she told you, Gorma! Tell me! Did that bastard violate my little girl?" She yelled loud enough for the dead in the catacombs to hear her.

"Nanny! _Enough! _Allura has made her wishes clear!" Coran took Nanny by the shoulders and escorted her away from the doctor.

Gorma uncomfortably fixed his gaze on the ground.

At the doctor's silence, Lance stepped forward. "Shit! He _did_, didn't he?" He began to shake with rage, and the rest of the team, Romelle and Sven included, grew even angrier at the Drule prince. Keith stayed off to the side and leaned against the wall, not wanting to hear any of the details.

Gorma gritted his teeth. "I suppose it would depend on your definition of 'violated,' Lieutenant. By the _medical_ and _anatomical_ definitions," Gorma paused to look at Nanny, "the princess has been untouched in that sense." His brow was raised, spelling out to Nanny that Allura was still, by clinical definition, a virgin.

He then turned back to Lance and the rest of the team and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I cannot talk to you about what he did to her or the extent of the abuse she endured." He paused once more, looking sympathetically at Romelle, who clenched her eyes shut and looked away in response. "She probably would have been better off had he just…"

He couldn't continue after noticing the horror in the boys' expressions. "Regardless," he concluded, shaking his head, "I am keeping her here for a couple of days to make sure she heals properly."

"Like hell you will!" Allura, already out of her room and leaning against the wall, clad in the clothes Keith had smuggled in for her, obviously had different ideas.

"Princess Allura!" The doctor looked horrified. "You are not well…you must stay here for at least -"

"I feel _fine_. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me. I have most certainly had worse injuries before!"

Coran lovingly put his hands on her shoulders. "Allura, dearest, Dr. Gorma says that you have some cracked ribs…please…listen to him."

"Coran, it is not the first time. I promise you, I am fine…I feel _fine_. I just want to be in my own room, in my own bed. Besides, Dr. Gorma talks too much." She threw the doctor a nasty look.

"Allura, you've just lived through a nightmare…you need some time. Just stay for a couple of days…" Lance began.

"Says who? _You?" _she snapped. "How in hell would you know my nightmare, Lance? I can assure you, McClain, this is nothing I haven't been through before…been there, done that…now we move on…"

"Allura…" Lance tried again.

She approached him and placed a hand on his cheek. "Lance," she told him, her voice rich with conviction, "I'm fine. I'm OK, I swear." She then turned her sights on everyone else. "Come on, guys! Give me some credit, will you? Geez!"

Keith narrowed his eyes at her. She was in severe pain - he knew it - but from simply looking at her, no one would ever know. That made him very uncomfortable, because he knew that she was lying to all of them. He knew what he saw, what she hid from everyone else, what Gorma had implied to Nanny after examining her. This was _not _something that had happened before.

He felt Romelle's gaze on him, and he looked back at her. With only her eyes, she conveyed that, like him, she also knew that Allura was lying. _Of course she knows…that bastard's done worse to her. _

By chance, Allura caught the interaction between Keith and Romelle. Once again, she rolled her eyes. He didn't care - he only felt concern for her.

At that moment, Nanny ran towards her and threw her arms around the princess. Allura whimpered as an expression of pain flashed across her face.

The governess immediately pulled back. "Oh, my poor baby! Did I hurt you? Ach! Dr. Gorma was right, you get back in that room right now!" She waved her finger in Allura's face.

The princess gritted her teeth. "For the _last _time, I'm _fine_!" she insisted as she pushed through a wall of people. In front of Keith, she stopped and stared at him, her brow raised in challenge.

It was as though she was daring him - _daring _him! - to make a move against her. After everything he'd done? No, he refused to fight against her now. Keith crossed his arms in front of him and returned the stare.

"Do you have anything to add, Captain?" Her sarcasm was more than evident.

He shrugged. "Nope. You've made yourself pretty clear, your Highness. You're _fine._" It may not have been _completely _mature, but he enjoyed mimicking her tone.

"Well then, since we're clear, I'm going to my room to get some sleep." She turned to face the masses. "I'll see you all in the morning," she informed them as she turned to leave.

"_Princess!" _Gorma called out.

Allura whipped around to look at him, clearly annoyed.

"If you insist on staying in your room, take these with you in case you need them." He handed a container to her. "And please, call me if something - _anything _- doesn't feel right."

Allura softened her gaze and took the container from him. "Dr. Gorma, I promise that if I am not feeling well, you will be the first call I make," she assured him.

The doctor nodded reluctantly, and Allura exited MedTec, leaving everyone in her wake confused.

As soon as she left, all eyes darted to Keith.

"_Don't…I_ don't want to hear it from _any _of you...got it? Now, I know this may come as a shock to you all, but I am exhausted, so I'm going to bed." He turned towards Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. "I'll see you three at practice at 0600."

He turned his back to everyone and stormed out of MedTec. Nanny soon followed, citing that she needed to rest so that she could take care of Allura if need be.

Lance turned to Sven. "He saw something, I just know it!" he barked.

Sven threw him a disappointed look. "And what of it? It's none of your business, Lance. It's nobody's business but theirs."

"The hell it isn't! She's my _friend_!" The Red Lion pilot was inconsolable.

"Lance, take it easy, man!" Hunk cried out, grabbing Lance by the shoulders.

"_No! _You were there, dude! You saw her, at least you saw what Keith hadn't covered up…and now she's acting all tough like it's all good? Oh, _hell _no!"

"What would you prefer her to do, McClain?" Sven retorted. "Shrivel up and fall apart?"

Romelle placed herself between the two boys. "Sven is right, Lance. Each one of us handles things differently. Allura, she's…I mean, I don't know how she does it. She just gets right back up and keeps going."

"And you think that's a _good _thing?" Lance argued. "Living in denial? Acting like nothing happened and that we're all crazy? And then there's Keith…what the _fuck _is his problem?"

Romelle attempted to calm him. "No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'll talk to her, try to get her to open up to me…but I will _not _push her." She blinked at him for emphasis. "She'll talk when she's ready, and I'll be there for her when that time comes."

"And as far as Keith is concerned….do you honestly think he isn't worried?" Sven interjected. "If you do, then you're a fool, McClain! Don't you see the guilt he feels? It's written all over his damn face! He probably blames himself for everything. Did you ever stop to think that maybe he cannot deal with what he witnessed?"

Lance contemplated Sven's words for a moment, but he wasn't convinced that they should all just go on pretending as though nothing happened. Coran, who leaned quietly against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him as he listened, decided it was time to intervene.

"You know, gentlemen, your downfall is that none of you have any idea just how strong-willed that girl is. I can't blame you, really. None of you has any idea of what she'd endured before you arrived."

The advisor's words left the group of friends speechless.

"You must understand," he continued. "Allura has her own way of dealing with things, and it works for her. No matter the tragedy - and believe me, there were many - she just picked up and moved on. She had no choice…her people were depending on her to be strong, to lead them, to give them hope. This nightmare is no different. Please, you can't push her or force her. It'll backfire, severely." Coran paused to ensure that they were all still following him. "Romelle is right. The important thing is that we're here for her when the time is right, when she is ready to talk. Believe me, eventually she'll need to vent to someone." He smiled fondly. "She always does."


	15. Chapter 15

_Well...here we are...the final official chapter of 'Taken'; however, this is far from the end. Will begin posting 'Madness: Spring Break" next Wednesday. Thank you to all those who read/follow/review...it always keeps me going!_

_KathDMD: You know it girl! Ah yes...GMN will be lots of fun indeed! ;-)_

_WadeWells: Your support has meant the world! Next installment starting next week...hope you'll like it!_

_DragonLadyRelena: blue-tard LOL... You're right about Allura...it will come to a head but not until the end of part 2/ beginning part 3. This chapter is about tying up loose ends and easing into the next part. I can assure you of this...a new side to Lotor...and will def get his in 'Madness'... _

_JustLucky05: Allura is one tough young woman...and stubborn to a fault. She has many secrets that will be revealed through out the series. Eventually, she will deal with her haunting past...but at what price? Thank you so much for your encouragement!_

_FroofyB: Iron will is an understatement! The girl is the Queen of suppressed emotions! Just wait...by the end of 'Madness' you'll all be happy...I think..._

_Smithy: Keith would never judge her...and Nanny is overbearing indeed..._

_Limetwist: Hugs are coming and good moments are ahead...mixed with some turmoil of course...Thank you for reading!_

_Feli3: Lotor and Haggar had a hidden agenda...TBA in 'Madness'...the air will be cleared...for now ;-)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters. _

"_**Taken"**_

_**Chapter 15**_

By the end of the week, Allura was ready to get back into her regular routine. She got dressed and made her way down to the gym to work off her annoyance at the fact that Keith did not allow her to participate in practice yet again. She had the distinct impression that he, much like Romelle, was avoiding her.

Oddly enough, her interactions with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge went right back to normal. She and Lance engaged in their customary banter, while Pidge and Hunk added insights - and insults - and she laughed along with them.

Keith, however, often excused himself to go work on reports or just sat quietly. It was obvious that he'd been avoiding spending time alone with her since the incident. Because of his recent actions, her mind was cluttered with different thoughts and assumptions as she walked into the gym.

She looked around, happy to have the whole place to herself. She needed to let off some steam, and that was easier to do when the boys weren't around. She would also be able to blare her favorite music, something Keith didn't allow during team workouts.

_First things first. _She walked over to the computer and uploaded her favorite album, waiting for it to start playing. As the music filled the gym, a satisfied smile crossed her face.

_Now that's what I'm talking about. _

After a few stretches, she began her routine. It was personal to her; the same routine she'd done for years whenever she needed to release tension and stress. As she worked through a series of punches, kicks, and flips, her mind attempted to sort through her inner conflict.

_Why is he avoiding me? We came so close…did his feelings change after what he saw? _She had hoped that they could move past the incident, but it was so evident that he couldn't. Severely disappointed, she made a mental note to confront him.

_Moving on. _

She grabbed a bo from the wall and began her artful manipulation of the weapon as she worked through her next issue. _Is something wrong with me? When did I become so hard? I feel fine…like nothing happened. I know that's not normal, but what should I do? Break down when I feel stronger? _Narrowing her eyes, she aimed the bo like a dart at the punching bag. Far from warrior-like - and certainly not princess-like - but it helped to alleviate her frustration_ Am I supposed to sulk and fall into some kind of emotional pit? Hell no! Then he wins…and I will be __damned__ if I let Lotor have that kind of satisfaction! I'm a fighter! I'm a survivor! I will move forward! _

Allura was determined and focused, refusing to dwell on what happened. She didn't need to talk about it. In her mind, she had already let it go.

She walked over and retrieved her bo, returning it back to its place. She felt good: energized, free, stronger than she had felt in a long time. She felt confident and ready for whatever would be thrown at her - at the team - next. She focused on her breathing as she flowed through a series of stretches to relax her body after a tough routine.

Looking up, she noticed Romelle patiently waiting for her to finish.

"I'm sorry, I…I didn't mean to interrupt." The Polluxian princess bit her lip, unable to look her cousin in the eye.

Allura smiled - she was rather grateful for this opportunity. "It's OK, Romelle, I'm just wrapping up. And believe it or not, I'm glad you're here."

Romelle's eyes brightened. "Come sit down over here with me. I'd like to talk." She motioned to the bench, which she headed towards. Allura turned to follow, keeping her mouth shut as she did.

Once they finally sat down, she began. "What's going on, Melle? You and Keith have been avoiding me all week. I believe I have the right to know why. Did I do or say anything to offend you in some way?" She hated to be so blunt, but she felt she had no other choice.

Romelle shot her a confused look. "What? God, no! Of course not!" she gasped.

"Then what is it? Why have you been avoiding me?"

Romelle looked down at her hands, too upset to meet her cousin's gaze. "Allura, I am so sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. It's just that…what happened…it was all my fault, and I'm so sorry." A tear slid down her cheek as she threw her arms around the Arusian princess.

As she hugged her cousin, Allura felt shock run through her system. "What are you talking about, Romelle? How was any of that your fault?"

"I didn't listen to you, Allura. You told me to let you handle it. You told me not to move, but I didn't listen. Because of my stupid actions, he caught me and used me to get to you. He hurt you because I wasn't strong enough to trust you." She wept into the palms of her hands. "I'm so sorry!"

Allura grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands from her face. "Romelle, what happened was _not _your fault, nor do I blame you in any way! You cannot hold yourself responsible for the fact that Lotor is an evil, obsessive son of a bitch! Something like this was bound to happen at some point, so please don't do this to yourself."

"I just don't get you! You won't say it, but I _know_ what he must have done…what he must have put you through. But you act like it was nothing - just another day! How? _How _is that even possible?" She searched her cousin's face for an answer.

The Arusian princess sighed. "Romelle, it's complicated. I don't know how to explain…"

"Allura, you can't possibly look at me and tell me straight to my face that you're fine after everything he did to you. Talk to me, _please_."

"Look, I don't know what you people want from me. I _am _fine, just accept it! Romelle, you don't know - you have _no _idea of what things I've witnessed over the last twelve years. I can assure you, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that Lotor could possibly do that would break me after the hell that I've been through in this never-ending war!" She placed her hands firmly on her cousin's shoulders. "So he got his jollies off my body. So what? Big frickin' deal! I'm still alive to fight another day, so he can kiss off! Now, for the last time…I'm _fine_, Romelle, and _none_ of this was your fault. Please, can we get on with our lives now?"

Romelle was taken aback and didn't quite know what to say. "Allura, I don't...I'm not sure…"

"_Melle. _Let me go change my clothes and I'll meet you in the rec room. There are happier things we could be discussing like, oh, I don't know…a certain wedding that we should start planning?" she offered with a sneaky grin.

Romelle couldn't help but smile at the mention of her wedding. She giggled lightly, "Yeah, I guess that _would_ be preferable."

"Good. I'll go change and meet you in a half hour, OK?"

"Sounds good, Al."

As they both stood up, Romelle tried once last time. "Allura?"

Allura turned to face her. "Yes?"

"I know you said you're fine, but if you ever change your mind…please know that I'm here for you."

Allura reached out and squeezed her hand. "I know, Romelle. Thank you."

They made their way out of the gym, with Romelle following behind her cousin, until she noticed Allura hesitate at the door. "Allura? What is it?" she asked.

The Blue lion pilot looked at her intensely. "Is that why he's been avoiding me? Because he feels responsible for what happened?" she inquired, even though she already knew the answer.

Romelle responded by looking down at the floor.

Allura closed her eyes for a moment. "I _swear _that man has a martyr complex." She shook her head as Romelle giggled. "It's not funny, Melle."

"No, it's not that…it's just that, well, Sven was right…you _have _been hanging around Lance too long. You're starting to sound like him."

"Yeah, well, it's true regardless of who says it," she smirked. "Anyway, I'll see you in thirty."

Romelle nodded, and Allura finally made it back into her room to change.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Keith decided that Allura should join them in practice, and advised her to meet them at 0600. _Hmm, I wonder if Romelle talked to Sven_.

PT went off without a hitch, as did flight and target practice. Keith purposely added new maneuvers and targets just to see if there would be any hesitation on Allura's part. To the contrary, she was operating at ninety-five percent throughout the entire practice. She had actually improved and seemed to be more focused than before. He could tell that she was relieved to be back with the team.

He knew that he shouldn't have avoided her, but he had his own guilt and emotions to work through, and he didn't want to unload any of that on her. He, too, was more focused and determined. He wanted to make sure that nothing like that would ever happen to her again.

There were still so many unanswered questions about that evening. How did Lotor get on Arus undetected? What happened to Allura's comm unit? Why did Lotor take her to _that_ compound, claiming that it was where they first met? They all had the same questions, but knew that it would be some time before they received any answers, at least from the Princess. The four space explorers had tried to approach Coran concerning the compound, but he'd insisted that it was not his place to discuss - Allura would tell them when she was ready.

Keith was about to enter his office when a castle courier approached, holding a large manila envelope. He saluted Keith before speaking. "Captain Kogane, Sir. This just came for you via diplomatic mail."

"At ease, soldier. Thank you." With a smile, Keith nodded that the young man was dismissed. He brought the envelope into his office and sat down at his desk before opening it. He looked over the folder and instantly recognized the writing.

_Jeff? What the hell could be so urgent that he would send me this through diplomatic mail and not the Garrison? _

Inside the envelope, there were several files marked 'Classified' along with what appeared to be a summary from his old friend.

_Keith,_

_I know it's been a while, man, and hopefully we'll get together and catch up over a few drinks sometime soon, but for now there are more important things we need to discuss. I was asked by Commander Hawkins to forward these to you. Through our intel, as well as trusted 'allies' within the Drule Empire, we have discovered that your buddies on Doom are planning something big. REALLY big. The plan is to put a stop to it before they get the chance to put it into motion. _

_We know how Princess Allura feels about being on the offense, so we were hoping that the information in these files would help you convince her that this would be a good idea for all concerned. We have the backing of the Drule Empire on this one, Keith. There's some serious stuff going down, requiring a joint venture. BOTH our teams! Don't worry, bro, I'll make sure you look good - HA! _

_Anyway, we are heading toward Arus. Seeing as how we don't want to raise suspicions, we are using alternate jump gates, which means it will take us longer to get there…probably a couple of weeks. Oh, and a couple more things: One, the Viking's involved. And two, do __not__ mention any of this to GG or anyone at Alliance home base…will explain when we see you. For now, you need to trust me. _

_Later, Jeff_

Keith put down the letter and began to read through the files. He didn't know what to think. He felt disturbed, disgusted, and angry as he read through the intelligence that he'd received from Jeff. His old friend was right - this was big, _really _big.

He understood the reason for all the secrecy as well as the need for the joint venture, but would it be enough? More importantly, how was he going to convince Allura to let them use Voltron to strike first?

He knew he was up for a challenge, especially since he'd purposely been avoiding her. Putting the paperwork down, he placed his hands on the desk, linking his fingers as he thought. At first, he felt he should wait a couple of days before saying anything, maybe try to smooth things over with the Princess.

_No, she'll be more upset if she realizes I kept this from her. _

He decided that he needed to inform the team right away and hope that he could help Allura see the benefit of a strike before the Explorer arrived.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Absolutely _not_!" she hollered, standing up and slamming her fist against the conference table.

"Princess! We haven't even heard what the captain has to say," Coran reminded her.

Allura glared at her advisor. "It doesn't matter, Coran. Voltron is the defender, _not _an aggressor. I will _not _have him used in some personal vendetta!" she snarled, narrowing her eyes at Keith.

He looked at her, unflinching. "Are you done?" he asked calmly, which visibly added to her irritation.

He then threw the photographs from the confidential files in front of her, and Allura gasped in horror. "Still think this is a personal vendetta…or a humanitarian necessity?" he asked, leaning in towards the princess. "These are _your_ people they are hurting, as well as slaves from other worlds. These are _children_, your Highness, so yeah…I take it _very _personally!"

Allura shook her head in disbelief._ How could this be happening?_

Keith continued, "Aside from these atrocities and experiments, they are planning on using the weapon they used to destroy Balto on several unnamed Alliance planets within the Denubian. They suspect that Pollux may be one of them…just to prove some kind of point. The weapon is said to be completed within the next four weeks, which is why Commander Hawkins feels that we need to strike first. It will destroy any chance they might have of completing the project."

Allura had to sit back down in her chair to absorb the information.

"Look, Chief, I know we kick ass and all…but there ain't no way in hell that we can attack Doom with Voltron alone," Hunk spat out. "It'll be too much firepower."

"And robeasts…don't forget the robeasts…damn, that's home base," Pidge added.

Lance looked over at Allura, who remained unusually quiet. He furrowed his brow, then turned his gaze back to the team. "Don't worry, guys, I'm sure our fearless leader is about to explain just how the hell he expects us to pull this off. Aren't you, Captain OZ?"

Keith shot him an annoyed glance. "As a matter of fact, Lieutenant Smartass, it just so happens that we will not be on our own on this one. The Explorer, the Vehicle Team, and Pollux will all be part of the offensive as well. They have agreed and are waiting on the Princess' decision. _They _will strike with or without us."

Allura was deep in thought, processing the information in her mind.

Coran looked at her as well. "Princess, I know you are hesitant, but perhaps we need to look at the bigger picture. If we are able to defeat Korrinoth on this mission, Zarkon and Lotor will be taken into custody and punished for their crimes. Then it would all be over. You could finally begin to rebuild, bring Arus to the glory it once was."

Allura looked at him intently, and he knew what she was thinking. _The prophecy. _

He returned her intense stare. "Allura, let it go," he whispered.

She gave a sarcastic laugh. "Coran, did you forget what happened when my parents decided to 'let it go'? When they thought they could change destiny?" She shook her head. "Are we all forgetting about Haggar? The Alliance can lock Zarkon and Lotor up all they want, but she'll get them out eventually." She paused to look back at her advisor. "So _no_, Coran, it won't be over. Not as long as Haggar lives."

Letting out another breath, she addressed Keith. "You've looked this over thoroughly?"

"Of course."

"You've checked its validity?"

"I did."

"And you trust the source?"

"Absolutely."

Allura stood up from her seat once more and made her way in front of him. "Do you, Captain Kogane, truly believe that this is the best course of action…the _only _way?" she asked, staring him down.

He looked at her confidently. "Yes, your Highness, I do. They have gotten away with murder long enough. It's time to put an end to it."

Allura leaned onto the table, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She met his gaze once more. "So be it," she decreed reluctantly.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Keith took her hand. "It's the right decision, Princess."

She looked into his honest eyes. "Understand that I am not happy about it in the least, but…I trust you, Keith Kogane. I only hope that you're sure about this."

He nodded. "I would never agree to anything that would put you or Arus in danger, Princess. I hope you still believe that."

"Of course I do! That's the only reason I've agreed to this."

Keith gave her hand a little squeeze. "It _will _work, Princess. The plan does not allow for any of them to make it out alive, Haggar included."

"Really?"

"It will be over, and _we_ can move on, live our lives the way _we_ want…maybe." He winked as he slowly let go of her hand. Then, maddeningly, he turned to speak with the guys, leaving her standing there to contemplate what he had just insinuated.

She was confused. Of _course _she wanted this war to end, and of course she wanted to be with him, but it didn't make sense. The prophecy had not been wrong until now and she knew that all too painfully.

_This doesn't fit. Something's off. _

She was going to try to roll with it, but she knew deep down that no matter what happened on this mission, the war was far from over.


	16. Chapter 16

"_**Taken"**_

_**Epilogue**_

Shortly after the Explorer arrived on Arus, all hell broke loose.

Both Voltron Forces, as well as the air force and military from Pollux, prepared for a full-on assault against Korrinoth. The plan was for the Polluxian military, headed by Sven and Bandor, to be in charge of evacuating as many slaves as possible before the Vehicle Team joined the Lion Force to begin the attack. It was a solid plan, but the teams knew that the forces of Doom would not go down without a fight.

The night before the mission, in a desperate attempt to thwart the impending strike, Haggar captured Allura's soul and disappeared into the other realm. Upon the terrifying discovery, King Alfor appeared in time to provide guidance. At his urging, Keith undertook the task of bringing the princess back.

The Voltron commander advised his teammates not to wait for him to return. Instead, he instructed that they head out with the Vehicle Team, and he would meet up with them at the rendezvous point as soon as he could retrieve Allura. And retrieve her he did - not only did Keith fight off the old witch, but he also made his feelings for the princess known in the process. Allura was elated, and she reciprocated his feelings, openly professing her love for him.

Unfortunately, they had no time to ponder their admissions. The feelings they'd shared were instantly put aside so that they could remain focused on the mission. Keith and Allura quickly joined the others in the air, and the plan was set into motion.

The two Voltrons attacked the planet with a primal hunger once the Polluxian forces had evacuated the majority of the slaves. The bombardment was unfortunate - as were the innocent lives that were lost in the process - but it was entirely necessary. The battle was arduous and went on for hours; truly a clash between two well-matched forces. However, Keith's well-known reputation of being a brilliant strategist paid off. His planning was sound, and the two teams were so well-coordinated that they flawlessly executed every counterattack Korrinoth had to offer.

Zarkon's forces had suffered tremendous losses, and it was evident to all of the warriors that the end was near. The two teams were in position, ready to deliver the final blow to Korrinoth upon Keith's command, when the unimaginable occurred.

The Polluxian king, Romelle's younger brother Bandor, frantically reported that Sven's whereabouts were unaccounted for. The former Blue Lion pilot had last been seen engaged in a fierce battle with the Dark Prince before they both plummeted off a cliff and into the water below. No one knew for sure if he had resurfaced.

Time was running out. It was with a heavy heart and conscience that Keith made the decision to move forward with the mission - he could only hope that his dear friend would make it out in time. So, with a silent prayer, he gave the order. The Lion and Vehicle teams, alongside the Polluxian forces, evacuated as the detonators they'd set began to go off. One by one, explosions filled the air as Korrinoth was engulfed in a ball of flames. Then, with one final shockwave, the Planet of Doom, as it was often referred to, was no more.

Shortly after fleeing from the now-destroyed planet, Keith let out a sigh of relief as he received a transmission from Sven which confirmed that he had, indeed, made it off Korrinoth safely. The three forces decided to meet on Arus to debrief before the festivities began.

The group of longtime friends and military strategists listened intently as Sven recounted his battle with Lotor. The Swede assured them all that Lotor had perished - he had seen the prince's death with his own eyes. Despite Sven's confidence, the Voltron Force commander was not completely convinced that Lotor was dead, but he wasn't about to let his own doubts cast a shadow over the celebrations that were beginning all throughout Arus - _especially _not without a shred of evidence to the contrary.

As the days went by, things slowly returned to normal around the castle. Rumors began to circulate about the possibility of the Voltron Force members being transferred off Arus. Although Keith knew that the chances of that happening were unlikely, he used it as an excuse to put a hold on furthering a romance with the princess. Instead, he became obsessed with finding out what really happened to Lotor.

Allura could tell that something wasn't quite right about the man she was in love with. She often tried to talk to Keith about it, but it was obvious that he did not want to discuss it. The princess decided to let it go for a while and enjoy the end of a long war alongside her people.

Of course, she wasn't about to let it go for long.

Keith and Allura had developed a unique bond that seemed to be growing stronger by the day. The bond confused her and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The princess believed that Keith was aware of it as well, which might have been another reason why he was avoiding her. They were linked somehow; she began to sense his thoughts and emotions, which was how she knew that the captain was not convinced of Lotor and Haggar's demise.

Keith's misgivings did not come as a surprise to her. Having studied the prophecies passed on through her family, she had been skeptical from the beginning as well. The Arusian Prophecy spoke of a much different ending to the Zarkonian Wars.

In her heart, she knew that the peace would not last for long, but she desperately needed a break after all the years of torment. The princess was more than willing to just sit back and relax for a while, enjoying the well-earned respite.

Keith, on the other hand, was restless.

The Voltron commander began to receive frequent visits from the late King Alfor, who provided him with a slew of cryptic messages regarding his own role in the princess' life, as well as the prophecy. One thing he knew for certain: the war was far from over. During one of their secret meetings, Alfor confirmed Keith's fear that Lotor and Haggar were still alive; however, their condition and location remained undetermined.

It was the calm before the storm, and no one had any clue as to when the hurricane would hit. Keith had no intention of worrying Allura by letting her know what her father had said, especially since he couldn't plausibly confirm any of it. No, he wanted her to have some peace of mind, even if just for a short time. He would handle it the best way he knew how…on his own.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_AN: Musical Theme songs for this story: Help I'm Alive by Metric; She, Lazy Bones, and Brutal Love by Green Day; Conducer by BRMC (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)_

_A very special 'Thank You' to my editor, KathDMD, for always being so supportive, encouraging, and, most importantly, believing enough in my story to edit and not try to change it. Her suggestions and reactions in red always put a smile on my face…of course…we all need to thank her for the infamous 'Slut-on-a-stick' comment! ;-) Love you girlie! (KathDMD will be editing 'Give Me Novocaine', an alternate beginning to the series...see profile for clarification)_

_Thank you to the amazing Cubbie for promoting my story on Twitter and KAEX! She is the best publicist in the universe! Cubbie and her hubbie are the most talented couple in the Denubian ;-) Thank you, Luv, for all you have done for me. You are a blessing to us all 3_

_Thank you to all those who continued to read/follow/review 'Taken'. The support has been overwhelming and a positive driving force for the continuation of this series. I will begin posting 'Madness: Spring Break' (Part 2) next week. I can only hope that I do not let any of you down. It is completed so…no worries there ;-)_

_To the KA classic fanfic Divas: KittyLynn, Mertz, Moira, and Wade (among MANY others from long, long, ago…*see favorites list ;-)* ) Thank you for inspiring all of us newbies to write about our favorite couple._

_Last, but not least, Thank you to my dearest friend A.S. for giving me the courage to overcome my insecurities and convincing me to share my stories with all of you…I couldn't ask for a more supportive friend *sniff-sniff*_

_SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK!_


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